


Out of My League

by Chika_Ann



Series: A Champion Time! [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Sword & Shield | Pokemon Sword & Shield Versions
Genre: Charizard - Freeform, Discovery, F/M, Gen, Pikachu - Freeform, Playthrough Fanfic, Pokemon Battles, galar region
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-04
Updated: 2020-04-16
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:07:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 35,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21669457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chika_Ann/pseuds/Chika_Ann
Summary: Robin is an old candidate for the Gym Challenge, a drop out from when she was ten. She's seventeen now, and thanks to Hop and Leon, she's starting her journey over. Join Robi and Hop as they travel the Galar Region, finding out who they are, along with who the people they thought they could trust the most are.
Relationships: Chairman Rose/Oleana, Leon/Reader, Leon/original character, Nessa/Sonia
Series: A Champion Time! [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1562185
Comments: 19
Kudos: 58





	1. Wooloo Used Tackle!

**Author's Note:**

> I up'd some characters ages to better fit my story. Anyways, we'll see if I stick with this one, it sounded fun for the moment!

Violet eyes stared back at her from the reflection she looked into as she finished the second braid of ashy brown hair. Today was a big day, her childhood best friend would have an exhibition match. Well, any day that he battled was a big day. But it was an even bigger day as it would mark the opening for the Gym Challenge, where regular every day trainers battled their way all the way to battle against the current champion, and her best friend.

Robin tied her braids off with black and gold ribbons, marking her support for Leon, the Undefeated Champion. Leon had won his championship when he was ten, he was nineteen now. Robin wasn’t much younger than him at seventeen. She had never participated in the Gym Challenge when she was younger, though she had been one of the ones that had been picked as a heavy hitter when she was old enough to join the Gym Challenge.

A lot of people had been disappointed to hear the news of her withdrawal, but most of them understood the reasoning. Though, they didn’t know the whole story. Robin turned and poked at the little black and yellow Rookidee that was perched on her desk, smiling when it gave a grumpy tweet at her. “C’mon, Knightwing, it’s time to go to work.”

She set the small bird on her shoulder as she slipped from her room, taking a moment to look at the picture next to her door of a younger version of herself posing with a young Leon and her father. She tried to be quiet, especially when she worked early in the mornings like today. But there was her mother, quietly sipping coffee as she leaned against the counter. “Oh, morning.” Robin got her ashy brown hair from her mother but got her striking violet eyes from her late father.

“You’re getting ready for work.”

“Uhm… yup.”

“I thought we were going to Hop’s to watch his brother battle today?”

“Cherry can’t run the store by herself and Bernadette text me last night saying she wasn’t feeling well, I told her I would cover her morning shift for her.”

“Robin… you never watch the exhibition match. Every year you slip out of watching it.”

“I don’t slip out of watching it, mom. I just… don’t feel like watching Pokémon battles, alright?”

Her mother set her coffee mug down and started to move towards her daughter. “Sweetie, you have to let go of what happened to your father. I miss him just as much as you do, but he would want you to get out there and battle and maybe even challenge Leon-“

“Mom.” Robin ducked away from the open arms, grabbing her bag and swinging it over her shoulders with a frown. “This has nothing to do with dad. I just don’t feel like watching the battles this year.” Before her mother could harp on her more, Robin slipped from the house. She ran down the slight slope, glancing over at a Wooloo that was using tackle on the gate that led to the Slumbering Weald. “Oh, hey little guy. You don’t wanna go in there.”

Robin easily grabbed the Wooloo, ignoring its’ annoyed huffing as she pulled it away from the fence and down the hill some. “Go on, shoo.” She waved her hands at the small sheep-like Pokémon, watching as it gave her a mean look before trotting away to join its’ friends. With a nod, Robin turned and headed towards Wedgehurst and to the boutique where she worked.

“I can’t believe you really don’t want to watch the match, Robi.” Cherry, a sweet girl with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes, gave Robin a pouty look. “It’s pretty much over.”

“Yup. And I bet Leon wins by using his Charizard, again.” Robin huffed as she folded some of the clothes on the table. If she were being honest with herself, Cherry didn’t need a second body at the store. They wouldn’t get any customers today with the exhibition match airing. “It was over before it even began. Raihan doesn’t stand a chance if he doesn’t change his line-up.”

“I thought you didn’t care for Pokémon battles.” Cherry purred, crossing her arms under her chest as she grinned at Robin. “Yet here you are, critiquing the eighth gym leader. Do you think you could take him?”

Robin gave Cherry a look, opening her mouth to protest when Cherry suddenly perked up and started twirling her hair around her finger. “Oh, boy.” Cherry only shut up and stood straight when Leon was nearby. “I guess the match is over.” She turned her attention to the door, giving her old friend a grin. “Lee.”

“Robi.” Leon was leaning against the door to the boutique, grinning at her. His beard was coming in better than it had been last year, and his long dark hair was collected behind him in a loose ponytail; which meant that he had flown home on his Charizard. His cape fluttered in the light breeze beneath the doors as he moved, he gave Cherry a wink; to which she responded with a dreamy sigh.

Robin rolled her eyes and put a hip on the table she was working at, her arms crossed beneath her chest and an eyebrow cocked with intrigue. “Did Hop guide you here?”

“Hah. Very funny. I had Charizard land in front of the store.”

“Let me guess, you didn’t want to get lost from the street corner to your house, so you came to ask me to hold your hand all the way home?”

“Again. Hah. Very funny. I’m not _that_ bad with directions.” Leon huffed at her, obviously becoming flustered as pink now dusted his tanned cheeks. “My mom called me after my match ended, we’re having a bar-b-que and she invited you and your mom. They told me to pick you up on the way home.”

“My shift doesn’t end for another-“

“You can go. I’ll probably just close up shop anyways, there aren’t any customers today.” Cherry gave Robin a shit eating grin, knowing the younger girl wasn’t a fan of get togethers. “Anything for Leon, the Undefeated.”

“Why thank you…” Leon glanced to Robin, his golden eyes secretly pleading with her to mouth the other girls name. When she did, he grinned and winked at Cherry again. “Cherry.”

Cherry winked back before turning and disappearing into the back of the store. “Tootles, Robi. Enjoy your B. B. Q.” She slowly pronounced each letter, wiggling her fingers at Robin.

Robin grumbled but turned a dark smile to Leon, but her smile changed to something lighter when Knightwing flew by Leon, snatching his snapback hat from the top of his head and carrying it over to Robin. “And you _are_ that bad with directions, Lee. Remember that time you were headed into town and got lost in the wheat fields next to your house. How did you manage that, by the way?” Robin put the hat on and grabbed her bag, leading the champion out of the store.

The two froze when a crowd cheered for their champion as they walked out of the store. “Gee. They just follow you everywhere, don’t they, Lee?”

Leon grinned and pulled Robin into a half hug as someone snapped a picture. “Back in town to see your girl, Leon?!”

Leon let out a laugh as he took his hat back and mused Robin’s hair. “Maybe!” He did his signature Charizard pose, twisting his body and throwing one hand up with his thumb and first two fingers out. “I’m just here to have a Champion Time!”

Robin gave a small grin as she slowly stepped back, not wanting to be in the spotlight. “Lee, can we go?”

Leon grabbed Robin’s hand, pulling her away from the crowd as Charizard and Knightwing followed after them. “C’mon! I’m starving! And I’m sure Charizard is too!”

As if in response, Charizard let out a weak roar, his short arms patting his large torso. “Oh, you’re pathetic, Char.” Robin reached into her pack and pulled a berry out, tossing it to the large orange and white dragon. The beast caught the berry, a sound similar to a purr escaped his throat as he trotted behind them. Robin couldn’t help her smile when Knightwing landed on Charizard’s head. “What oddballs.”

“Lee! Robi!” Hop ran up to them, grinning at the two as they rounded the stone wall. “Welcome home, Lee!” Hop was fifteen, and small for his age. He had had health issues when he was younger which made it difficult for him to participate in the Gym Challenge, but he was healthier now. Older. He had been talking Robin’s ear off all month about how he was going to finally do the Gym Challenge and take his brothers spot.

“Hey, kid!” Leon and Hop did their secret handshake, a series of fist bumps, high fives, hip bumps and other things that Robin couldn’t follow all the way, only to end in the popular Charizard pose. “I have presents for you!”

“Really?! What is it?!” Hop gasped, coughing a little when he got too excited.

Robin rubbed Hop’s back, smiling at Leon. “Don’t keep him waiting, Lee. What is it?”

“Well, it’s actually for the two of you.” Leon gave a sheepish grin as he slowly pulled out three Poké Balls, keeping his gaze fixed on Robin, waiting to see her reaction.

Hop watched the three Pokémon that popped out of the balls, a small red and white rabbit known as Scorbunny; a small green monkey known as Grookey; and lastly, a small blue gecko known as Sobble. “Wow! No way!” Then his eyes lit up and he stared intently on his brother. “Wait! You’re giving us Pokémon! That means… are you going to endorse us in the Gym Challenge?!”

Robin felt a tightness in her chest as she stared at Leon, waiting for his next words before she spoke. She could see the worry in his eyes as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I would like to. But mom has one condition for you going through the Gym Challenge.”

“What is it?! I’ll do anything! Call her every night?! After every Pokémon I catch?!”

Robin’s heart sank as she watched Hop, he was so excited to go on this new adventure. And if she was putting the puzzle pieces together correctly, she was the final piece to him going on this adventure. She closed her eyes, turning away from the two brothers as Leon gulped, speaking softly as to not wake whatever beast he thought might be hiding inside Robin. “Robin has to go with you, keep an eye on you.”

“What?! No way! Robin! You’re going, right!?” The tone of Hop’s voice told Robin she was getting the signature Yamper-eyed pout from the two brothers.

Robin sighed, glancing at the three Pokémon that stood nearby, awaiting their new trainer. She walked over, kneeling down in front of the teary-eyed Sobble. “Guess we can be sad together, huh?”

Knightwing let out a chirp, hopping over to the scared little gecko. The Sobble pressed itself into Robin’s hand, frowning at Knightwing. “Fine. I’ll go. But only as both of your rivals. I won’t go easy on you, Hop.” Robin kept her smile as even as she could, knowing it would make Hop so happy to be able to go on this adventure.

“Yes! Yes! Thank you, Robin!” Hop ran over, wrapping his arms tight around her shoulders and nuzzling his face against her cheek.

Leon watched as Robin and her mother headed back towards their house, frowning some. “Robin! Wait!”

Robin paused, glancing over her shoulder at Leon who ran up to her. “What, Lee?”

Leon looked to Robin’s mom, watching her leave the two alone and go inside. “I’m sorry, I didn’t want to force the challenge on you.”

“It’s not your fault, Lee. Mom wants me to let go of the past, and she thinks by me going on the challenge, it’ll help.” Robin looked down at the Sobble that was sound asleep in her arms, snoring from a hard day of playing. “Thank you, for giving me Aquo.”

“Any time, Robi.” Leon reached up, brushing a stray hair away from her face. “I can’t wait to battle you.”

“I can’t wait to kick your ass.” Robin gave him a playful growl before turning away from him. “Do you need me to walk you home, or will you be able to find your way?”

Leon gave her an unamused laugh before turning on his heel and walking back towards his house. “Very funny, Robi.”

“Good morning, Robin!”

Robin rolled over with a growl when curtains were pulled back, forcing sunlight onto her sleeping face. “What the hell, mom?!” Robin groaned more when her pillow was removed from the protective barrier it had become by her mother. “What time is it?”

“Time for you to wake up, silly. Hop is here.” The woman reached down and mused her daughters light brown hair before slipping from the room. “Today is the big day!”

Robin’s cheeks warmed as she climbed out of bed, pausing when she saw a small Rookidee snoozing away despite the ruckus she had just caused. “Oi, Knightwing. Wake up.” She poked the tiny blue and yellow bird, giggling when it let out a surprised chirp and jumped up. “If I have to get up, so do you.” She laughed more when the little bird narrowed its’ red eyes at her.

She twisted her hair into two braids that stopped just short of her shoulders after she yanked on her soft pink dress with a gray sweater over the top of that. It wasn’t quite cold enough for a sweater, but it would be handy later on when night came. She picked up the Poké Ball that was sitting on the corner of her bed, Sobble was snoozing away in there, waiting for her. “C’mon, Knightwing!”

Robin waved to her mother as she ran out the door, just in time to see the Wooloo from yesterday tackle right through the gate heading into the Slumbering Weald. “Wa-Wait! Wooloo!” She looked over, seeing Hop gawking at the gate. “Hop!”

“We have to go get it! It could be in danger, Robi!” Hop started to run for the forest when Robin grabbed his arm, yanking him back. “Robi!”

“Hop. Stay here…” She slowly turned and stared up at the looming trees, her heart in her throat. “If I’m not back… in ten minutes…” Voices of warning echoed in her head; don’t go in. Stay here. The Wooloo will be fine. Stop. You mustn’t. “Just… get Leon if I’m gone longer than ten minutes.”

Hop ran after Robin for a few steps, eyes wide as he watched her take off into the forest. He knew that forest scared her, he didn’t know why, Leon had never told him why. But he knew they could get in a lot of trouble if they went in there. “Robin…”


	2. Rotom; The Pokédex!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Robin and her team to set out, but is she really ready for the challenges that lie ahead?

Robin’s steps were light as she clutched her small Rookidee to her chest, her heart pounding in her throat. “Robi! Wait!” She near jumped from her skin when she heard her name, seeing Hop run up behind her. “I know you told me to stay back there… but I couldn’t let you go in alone. I sent my Scorbunny to go get Lee.”

“Hop…” Robin sook her head, giving him a small smile. “At least I’ll have a super strong trainer to hide behind when things get too scary.”

A blush had Hop scratching the back of his head. “I don’t know about that, Robi…”

Robin smiled as she grabbed Hop’s hand, pulling him behind her and deeper into the forest. The two pushed deeper into the forest, tall grass licking at their legs. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in this forest…” Robin whispered, watching as a few Pokémon poked their heads up, trying to see who was trespassing in their home.

**Woooooo!!**

Hop let out a small cry while Robin yanked Hop closer to her, both trembling as they listened to the cries echo through the woods. “Th-that sounded like… a Pokémon cry… right?” Hop whimpered between chattering teeth.

“R… right…” Robin looked around, squeezing Hop’s harder as they continued. Fog lapped at their ankles the farther in they went. A shadow moved through the trees to their left, making Robin jump and let out a scream. “What was that?!”

“What was what!?” Hop clung to Robin, looking around to see what she saw. “What was what?!”

“And then-!” Leon howled with laughter as he told his mother and father stories of his time in Wyndon. All three stopped their laughter when they heard something scratching at the door. “What in the…?” Leon got up, waving at his parents to stay seated as he slowly opened the door. He stared down at Hop’s Scorbunny, frowning at it. “Hey little buddy, is something wrong?” He reached down to grab the little white rabbit when it jumped away from him and ran towards the Slumbering Weald. “Hey! Come back!”

Leon dove to catch the small bunny, only to skid across the ground. He glared at the bunny that jumped further away from him. But then it bounced a little closer to him, when he swiped to grab at it, it jumped away once more. Then closer, then further back again. The jumping reminded Leon of when his Charizard was still a Charmander and playing chase with him. “You want me to follow you?”

The Scorbunny jumped up and down, crying out as it ran up the path towards the Slumbering Weald. “Alright, then.” Leon tossed a Poké Ball out, watching as his Charizard appeared. “Let’s go see what’s going on.” He glanced at the busted gate and then at the two sets of footprints that went into the woods.

Hop turned in a slow circle, trying to see through the thick fog. Robin had just been right next to him, but he couldn’t even see his own hand in front of his face. “Robin…?”

“I’m right here, Hop.” Robin called out, easily grabbing the boy that stood a few feet away from her. She could feel him jolt in her grasp, but he kept his cry to himself this time.

“I can’t see my hand in front of my own face, Robi…”

“I know, Hop. I know.”

**Woooooo!!**

The two clutched each other again, trembling as they inched deeper into the waist high foliage. “Do the Pokémon not even… come through here?” Robin whispered to herself.

“Robin!”

Robin jumped when Hop yelled her name in her ear, turning in time to see a large red and blue wolf jump down from the ledge leading into the clearing in front of them. The fog was slowly fading, leaving them in a clearing alone with this large wolf. Trees loomed over them on all sides, crying in the wind. “A-Aquo! Help us out!” Robin tossed the Poké Ball up, tears in her eyes and fear catching her breath in her throat.

Sobble landed just in front of Robin, tears in its’ eyes as it looked back at her after getting a glimpse of the monster in front of it. “So… Sobble!”

“I’m sorry, Aquo! Just this once, you got this!” The frill on its’ head quivered for a moment before it turned back to the wolf, hissing at it.

The wolf like Pokémon stared down at Aquo, unimpressed with the feeble hiss. It lifted its’ head and let out a howl. When it did, the fog thickened once more.

Aquo glanced back at Robin. “So… soso.” He looked to the wolf again, his throat and cheeks puffing up before water burst from his mouth.

“Water gun! Alright!” Hop bounced as he cheered on the little water type Pokémon.

The celebration was short lived though, as the attack seemed to faze right through the other Pokémon. “Wait…”

Robin watched in horror as the wolf lifted its’ head, howling again.

**Awoooooo!!**

Leon shuffled his feet as he walked through the tall grass and thick fog, thankful his Charizard was out and using the flame on its’ tail to disperse some of the fog. The large beast scanned the trees as they walked, waiting for something to jump out at them. Though most of the Pokémon hid away from the stronger monster.

Scorbunny clung to Leon’s shoulder, shivering when they heard another cry. “Scor…”

“I know little guy. We’ll find them soon. Don’t you worry.” Leon whispered, scratching the white rabbits ears. The three made quick work of the forest, but it was quiet around them now. Eerily so.

Robin clutched Aquo close to her now, whimpering as she tried to see through the thick fog. “Hop?!” The younger boy had just been right there. She should have just used a Poké Ball to recall Aquo, but she acted on instinct instead.

“Robi! I can’t see-“ Hop’s voice was cut off and all Robin heard was the ‘thump’ of him hitting the ground.

“Hop!”

_“Luna! Get my daughter out of here!” The man pulled out two Poké Balls, tossing one towards the small girl behind him. A large Corviknight burst forth, a loud cry coming from its’ throat. It turned towards its’ trainer, softly clicking at him before turning back to the girl and stretching a wing out so she could climb on._

_“Daddy! I want to stay with you!” The girl cried out, clinging to the large dark bird. “Please!”_

_“Robin, you have to go! I’ll meet you back at home. I promise.” Her father gave her a smile as he threw his other ball, a large lion like Pokémon appeared. A long crown of red and yellow fur flowed down its’ head to her back as she dipped her head and roared at the Pokémon in front of her. “Inferno! Use Fire Fang!”_

_Robin watched from Luna’s back as her fathers precious Pyroar lunged. He had brought the large Pokémon with him when he had come to the Galar region, showing her off as much as he could as she was the only one in Galar. Robin loved playing with her father’s Pokémon, each of them let her ride on their backs when she would go to town with her father._

_Inferno raced through the clearing, flames coating her teeth as she hit the wolf; her maw snapping down on the thick fur that protected its’ neck. The wolf let out a cry and tried to bite back at the Pyroar on it._

_Luna shot up, easily soaring over the treetops and out of view of the battle._

“Dad…” Robin whimpered as someone shook her as if trying to wake her up.

“Robin, you gotta get up.”

Robin’s eyes fluttered open, seeing Leon standing over her. She looked over and saw Hop stirring near her. “Lee?”

“What were you two doing out here? You of all people should know better.” Leon helped her up, concern in his eyes as she steadied herself.

“Lee?” Hop sat up, frowning at his brother. “I know I sent Scorbunny to find you, but I’m surprised you actually found us. You’re pants with directions!”

Leon glared at his brother. “I wouldn’t have had to come in here if you two geniuses hadn’t come in here in the first place!”

“We were trying to find the Wooloo that came in here!” Hop snapped back, glaring right back at his brother.

“It’s my fault, Lee.” Robin whispered as she rubbed her head, feeling a small knot on the base of her skull. “I should have put a repel on the gate when I saw the Wooloo tackling it yesterday-“ Her violet eyes snapped open and she gawked at Leon. “Aquo! Where’s Aquo!?”

“Uh…” Leon pointed to Robin’s hips, his frown twitching into a smile at the sight of the frightened Sobble clinging to his trainer.

“Oh… Aquo…” Robin whispered as she pulled him off her leg and into a squeeze. “I’m sorry little guy. I won’t make you face any Pokémon like that ever again, alright?” Aquo let out a cry, sobbing against Robin as she stroke the top of his head. “We should head back, I suppose.” She frowned more as she looked over, seeing the small Wooloo with Leon’s Charizard.

Robin sat at the kitchen table while her mother played with Aquo. “What a sweetheart.” Her mother laughed and scratched the soft spot just under Aquo’s chin. “I’m glad you’re home, sweetheart. But you’ll be leaving soon, won’t you?” She smiled at her daughter’s obvious shock. “Yes, I know. I’m a mother. We know things, besides, Leon told me that you were headed to Wedgehurst.”

“I was coming to tell you earlier, but that Wooloo went into-“

“You don’t have to explain, sweetheart. I know you meant well.” She held out a small coin purse, smiling more. “Here’s some money to get you started off right. Buy yourself and Aquo something nice, alright?” She also slipping some Poké Balls into her daughters bag, smiling more. “Impress Leon and Hop and try to catch some little monsters before you get headed out.”

“Thanks, mom.” Robin smiled softly as she put the money in her bag. She got up, patting Aquo on the head. “Ready little guy? We’ve got a long rest of the day ahead of us.”

Robin stared at the small herd of Wooloo that lay sleeping in the road. She let out a groan and turned to the less used path. “Guess we’re going the long way.” She moved through the tall grass, spotting a Skwovet munching on some berries just ahead. “Aquo… let’s see if we can catch this guy, hm?”

Aquo burst from his ball, his blue eyes narrowed on the squirrel looking Pokémon. It hadn’t spotted them yet. Aquo’s throat and cheeks puffed up again, water spurting from its’ mouth with Water Gun.

The Skwovet let out a cry and barely dodged the attack. It turned to run when a Poké Ball hit it in the back of the head. A red light wrapped around the Pokémon, causing it to disappear into the red and white ball. The ball shook a few times before letting out a loud click, letting Robin and Aquo know that they had caught the Skwovet. “Yeah! Way to go, Aquo!”

It didn’t take long for Robin to collect a Wooloo of her own and a Nickit, a little fox like Pokémon. She smiled at the three new poke balls that held her new team as she walked into Wedgehurst. She glanced up, seeing Leon’s Charizard standing in a crowd of people. The fact that Leon would willingly leave his most prized Pokémon alone with random people still blew Robin’s mind. She turned away from the Charizard and towards the professors building.

_“This is where I’ll be working.” Robin’s father smiled as he carried his daughter on his shoulders. They had just moved here two days ago, all so her father could start his apprenticeship for becoming a Professor._

_“Can I come see you?” Robin had fistfuls of her father’s dark hair to keep her steady on his shoulders._

_“Any time you want. I’ll let you hold onto Luna so she can escort you down.”_

_“I don’t need an escort, daddy.” Robin huffed as the two stood outside of the large building. “I’ll be doing the Gym Challenge in two years, you know!”_

_“I know you will, sweety. And you’ll be the greatest Champion this region has ever seen.”_

“Hey, you finally made it!” Leon laughed, waving to Robin as she walked up to the professors building. “You’ve already done far better than I did my first go around. I’m horrible with directions.”

“I know.” Robin smiled at him, glancing back to see Charizard had followed her.

The two walked into the building, Robin’s jaw dropping. There were a lot more books than she had remembered. “I gotta give it to Professor Magnolia. She’s got a lot of interesting things here.” Leon laughed as he looked around as well.

Robin jumped some, hiding behind Leon when a Yamper ran up and barked at them. “Oh, hey there!” Leon kneeled and rubbed the small dog Pokémon’s face.

“What is it today, Leon? Looking for another never seen before, super stronger Pokémon?” A girl with red hair frowned at them from up on a walkway above them. “I wish you’d stop with these outlandish requests.” She rolled her eyes and headed down to them.

“This is Yamper, he’s a real champ at finding his way around. He helped me plenty of times back in the day. And this is his trainer, Sonia.” Leon waved to Sonia, his hand limp as if he were bored. “What can I say that’s nice about Sonia…? Well, I like the way she cooks.”

Robin glanced nervously to Sonia who seemed to be fuming as she glared at the champion. “What kind of introduction is that?! Did you forget we were rivals during our Gym Challenge?! It wasn’t just Yamper helping you out! I did too!”

Sonia turned to Robin, holding a hand out to the younger female. “Anyways, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Sonia, the professor’s assistant.”

Robin shook her hand, giving a shy smile. “I’m Robin Amaryllis.”

“Amaryllis…? I’ve heard that name befo-“ Sonia’s eyes widened, and she clutched Robin’s hand harder. “Wait! Professor Magnolia said that a Mr. Amaryllis came here from Kalos to study under her and learn the ways of Dynamaxing… was that… was that your dad?”

“Uh… yeah.” Robin pulled her hand away and shoved it in her pocket, scuffing the toe of her boot on the ground. “Yeah, it was.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I’m glad I got to meet you, Robin. I know you’ll make him proud.” Sonia twirled her hair around her finger, smiling sympathetically at her. “Will you tell the crowds your name?”

Robin flinched; she hadn’t thought that far ahead. Would she? How would people react to her? “No, I don’t think I will. Not right now, anyways.”

Leon was leaning against the counter, frowning at the two girls. “Sonia, will you set Robin down the right path? Make sure she’s ready to start this journey?”

Robin felt so small between these two. She felt so raw now, she didn’t think anyone besides Leon really knew what happened, but it shouldn’t have hit her so hard that Sonia, the professors assistant would know. “Of course.” Sonia smiled as Leon walked out of the building. She let out a sigh and rolled her eyes. “Who does he think he is? He’s always got his head in the clouds.”

“Maybe that’s why he gets lost all the time.” Robin gave a small smile, feeling it grow on her lips when Sonia gave a snort of laughter.

“Maybe you’re right.” Sonia twirled her hair around her finger again. “You have a Rotom phone?”

“I do.”

“Awesome, this will make things a lot easier!” Sonia held her hand out, taking Robin’s phone when the girl handed it over. She tapped away at the screen, shaking her fingers when Rotom gave her a light shock. “Hey now! I’m not trying to tickle you on purpose.”

Robin took her phone back when it was handed to her, tilting her head some. “What did you do?”

“I made it so you can use a Pokédex from Rotom. Why don’t you go find Hop and have a battle, see what happens.” Sonia watched as Robin gave her a curious look before slowly leaving the building. “While you’re out and about, why don’t you head down to Route 2 and find my gran, let her know that you have the Pokédex.”

Robin took the stairs down two at a time into the valley that Route 2 called home, her fingers running over the Poké Ball that held Knightwing. She slipped into the tall grass, crouching down as she moved as quietly as she could. She saw movement to her left, seeing a small blue bug inching nearby. “Gotcha…!” She threw Knightwing, the small bird cawing as it landed in front of the bug Pokémon.

As soon as Knightwing landed, Robin’s Rotom phone flew out of her pocket and floated in front of her. “Blipbug; a bug type Pokémon. Often found in gardens, this Pokémon has hairs on its body that it uses to assess its surroundings!” The Rotom beeped at her, clicking a few times before switching screens. It read a set of moves ‘Peck; Leer; Power Trip.’

“Are those the moves that Aquo knows?” Robin gawked at the phone; her eyes wide with wonder.

“Would you like to learn how to use the Rotom Phone with Pokédex?” Rotom danced around in the air next to Robin.

Robin relaxed in the tall grass, blinking at the phone. “Sure. How do you work?”

“I take data from the Pokémon and turn it into information that trainers can use. Just by connecting to the Poké Ball the Pokémon is in, I can tell you what moves it knows. When you catch a new Pokémon, I can learn its move set as well so you know what to tell your Pokémon.”

“Huh… Knightwing. Use Peck!” Robin watched as Knightwing jumped into the air, eyes narrowed on the Blipbug. It dove, slamming its sharp beak into the smaller Pokémon. Robin noticed something out of the corner of her eye, seeing a bar slide from green to yellow. “What’s that?”

“I’m programmed to make estimates on where a rival Pokémon’s health is at, to better help you judge when to throw a ball to try to catch it.”

“Another attack from Knightwing will probably faint the Blipbug…” Robin watched as the Blipbug shot a sticky web out at Knightwing, she inched forward, watching as Knightwing barely dodged out of the way. “Now’s my chance, I suppose!” She pulled out an empty ball, throwing it at the Blipbug. A red light engulfed the bug Pokémon, pulling it into the ball as it landed. The ball twitched a few times before beeping with the wonderful sound that meant it had caught the Pokémon. “Awesome! Way to go, Knightwing!”

Robin gathered up her Rookidee before taking off, she ran along the path, not paying attention to the young boy off to her left. “Hey! It’s common manners for Pokémon Trainers to battle when their eyes meet! My name is Jake!”

Robin gasped when the boy threw a Poké Ball in her direction, a Skwovet bouncing out at her. “Oh… for real?” Robin let out a small chuckle and shrugged as she threw out Knightwing. “Alright, kid. I won’t go easy on you!”

“And I won’t go easy on you either! Skwovet! Tackle that little bird!”

“Knightwing, dodge that and use Peck!” Knightwing jumped into the air, bright red eyes locked on the small squirrel Pokémon before he dove, pecking at the Pokémon. “Alright! Use peck one more time!”

“Skwovet, use bite!” The Skwovet rolled away from the peck and bounced up, catching Knightwing and biting down on Knightwing’s back.

Knightwing let out a cry before turning its’ head and pecking at it again. The Skwovet growled and went to bite down again when Knightwing reared his head back and slammed down into the Skwovet. The Skwovet let out a meek cry as it went limp. “Knightwing!” Knightwing turned and looked to Robin before hopping over to her, cooing when she picked him up. “Good job, buddy.”

Jake hung his head, pouting some. “Maaaaan, whenever there’s a strong trainer, I always look right at them….”

Robin smiled at him, patting him on the head before trotting away. “Better luck next time, kid!” She trotted down the path, slipping past a girl who bent down to tie her shoe. Robin ran by, laughing when the girl realized what had happened a moment too late. “Sorry, I gotta go see the Professor! Maybe on the way back!”


	3. Into the Wilds!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pokédex? Check!   
> Dynamax band? Check!   
> Nearly getting destroyed by an Onix? Che- What?!   
> Robin needs to look both ways before running out into the Wilds, but sometimes the excitement of seeing The Wilds is just too overwhelming and you have to run in head first! Let the journey begin for Hop & Robin!

Robin ran over the small bridge before the professors house, waving to Hop who turned to see her. “Hiya Hop!”

“Robi! You made it!” Hop jumped up and down, waving his arm out to his brother and the professor who were talking. “C’mon! Let’s go.” He led Robin over to the other two, grinning at Professor Magnolia.

“So, have you unraveled all the secrets of the Dynamax phenomenon yet?” Leon smiled; his hands tucked into the pockets of his white pants.

“Oh, goodness, no. The whole thing is still full of questions.” The older woman laughed, her white blond hair was pulled back and curled around the back of her head. She held a cane that had the shape of a bird where her hand rest, it reminded Robin of a Rookidee. “I’d hoped that my granddaughter would take over my research, but she’s been a little reluctant.” The professor glanced over, smiling at the two new trainers. “Oh my! Welcome! It’s good to see you again, Robin. Hop.”

Robin looked away shyly, her cheeks tinted pink. “Hello again, Professor Magnolia.”

“I see my granddaughter gave you the Pokédex like I asked her to.” Magnolia smiled and turned away from them. “Come inside, I was just making some tea for all of us.” She didn’t wait for them, just slipped inside with an ease that a woman of her age probably shouldn’t have anymore.

Once they were all sat with a cup of tea in front of them, Leon looked to Robin, smiling a bit. “How much do you know about Dynamaxing?”

“Quite a bit. Dad left some old journals at the house that I read every now and again. He came here after studying Mega Evolving, he said he wanted to know everything there was to giving Pokémon more strength.” Robin stared down into her tea, the dark liquid reflected back the sadness in her eyes.

“There you go again, Leon. Always talking about Pokémon. There are other things that are important to know, like how many different types of tea there are.” Magnolia laughed as she sipped at her cup, smiling a little at how Robin relaxed. “Leon said he was going to endorse you two, possibly-“

“Possibly?! _Possibly_?!” Hop jumped up, almost knocking his chair over behind him. “Lee! You said you _would_!”

Leon rolled his eyes. “I just don’t know if you’re ready. You think you are, but-“

“Hop has to grow up sometime, Lee. Besides, I’ll be at his side the whole way.” Robin eyed Leon, a brow raised at him as if challenging him to say it wasn’t him babying his little brother.

Leon gave Robin a look that told her to hush up. “I know, Leon.” Magnolia smiled at the Champion, knowing he’d like this idea. “What if these two showed you a battle that would seal the deal?”

“Hm… it would have to be a pretty good battle.” Leon put a finger to his chin, eyeing the two challengers. “Fine. If you can show me a battle that gets our hearts racing, then I’ll endorse you for sure.”

Hop jumped again, throwing his hands in the air. “C’mon, Robin!” He was out the door before anyone else could even stand up. Robin eyed Leon before shrugging and walking out after Hop. Magnolia grabbed Leon’s hand when he started to move away from the table, her eyes on the closed door. “She’ll give Hop the life lessons he needs during this journey, Leon. But she will be a force to be reckoned with. You know that.”

“She was top pick to take my spot when she started her journey last time. She says she’s going in not telling people who she is. But they’ll find out, and when they do it’ll be a tough battle.” Leon smiled knowingly at Magnolia before leaving the older professor alone for a moment.

Magnolia walked over to her fridge, looking over the cluster of pictures that covered the front. Each group that left from Wedgehurst or Postwick ended up on there. She moved a few and looked at the picture of a younger Robin posing with a young Leon, Robin’s father standing just behind them. The two had been goofing around and were doing the famous Charizard pose, on hand behind them as they looked over their shoulder with on hand thrust into the air. “Best watch your back, dear Champion.”

By the time Magnolia made it outside, Hop and Robin were standing on her practice field, Poké Balls flying through the sky. Aquo and Wooloo landed closer to the center of the practice field, eyes locked on the other Pokémon. Leon watched as the two patiently waited for their trainers to tell them what to do. “Wooloo, use tackle!” Hop exclaimed, a huge smile on his face as he pumped his arms in the air, cheering for his fluffy Pokémon. “You’ll have to tell me how it feels to be battling the future Champion, Robi!”

Robin rolled her eyes but laughed as she pointed at Wooloo. “Alright, Aquo! Let’s show this ‘Future Champion’ what it really means to have a rival! Avoid that tackle and then use Water Gun!”

Aquo waited, holding his ground as Wooloo charged forward. Wooloo tucked his head into the thick white fur, rolling faster than Robin predicted. She bit her lip, preparing herself to cringe for when Wooloo collided with Aquo, but Aquo was more prepared than his nervous trainer. He rolled out of the way and water sprayed from his mouth, slamming into Wooloo. The attack hit hard enough to force Wooloo to roll away from him.

Wooloo let out a small cry but quickly regained his balance. He pawed at the ground with his little hooves, eyes narrowed on the Sobble. “Wooloo, try one more time!” Hop called out, throwing his arm out to the side.

Aquo went to jump out of the way of the tackle, but Wooloo bounced and slammed into Aquo. The force sent Aquo sprawling onto his back. The small Sobble let out a gasp for air, his eyes wide. “Aquo! Are you alright!?” Robin stepped forward; her eyes wide as she stared at Aquo. She let out a soft sigh of relief when Aquo rolled over and got up. “That’s it, Aquo! Try Water Gun again and then pull back!”

Aquo shook himself and refocused on Wooloo, his throat puffed up before letting loose another Water Gun. Everyone watched as Wooloo teetered, a small noise coming from the small Pokémon before it collapsed; stars in his eyes. “What?!” Hop’s eyes were wide as he looked at his Rotom phone, seeing that Wooloo’s health was down. “Good work out there, Wooloo! Come back!” He held up a Poké Ball, watching as a red light caught Wooloo, recalling the downed Pokémon. “You got lucky with that one, Robi! Just you wait!” He threw out another Poké Ball, his Scorbunny appearing in the middle of the field.

“Oh, Hop, you’re making this too easy on me.” Robin purred, hands on her hips. “Up for another one, Aquo?” Aquo turned to Robin, chirping at her. “Alright! Use Water Gun again!”

Hop let out a ‘tsk’ as he fisted his hands in front of his chest. “Scorbunny! Use Quick Attack!” Scorbunny chirped at Hop then ran so fast that Robin couldn’t keep track of him.

Scorbunny slammed into Aquo, sending the water Pokémon off to the side once again. Aquo let out a growl as he unleashed Water Gun again. The move hit Scorbunny causing the white rabbit to flinch and whimper. “No going easy, Aquo! Use Pound and finish him off!” Aquo took off, slamming in to Scorbunny who fell over before being recalled into his ball.

“You think you’ve got me in a tight spot, Robin, but this will just make my come back that much sweeter!” Hop growled as he threw his final ball, eyeing the five others on Robin’s hip. A Rookidee landed in front of Hop, little red eyes narrowed on Aquo.

“You’ve done great, Aquo!” Robin smiled as she recalled Aquo before sending out Nickit. The little fox landed daintily, using her tail to wipe the ground around her paws. She glanced back at Robin, waiting for orders. “Alright Nick! Use Quick Attack!”

“Rookidee! Dodge that and use Peck!” Hop gasped, lunging forward and cheering the little bird on. Rookidee jumped into the air, attempting to dodge the quick attack, but Nickit turned hard and slammed into Rookidee, sending the small bird right back to the ground. Rookidee lifted its’ head, chirping weakly before managing to get up. It shook itself and took to the air, flying at Nickit and pecking the fox.

Nickit dodged under Rookidee, hearing Robin shout for another Quick Attack. Nickit jumped up, batting her paws at Rookidee; effectively slamming the bird to the ground. “No! Rookidee!” Hop gasped, watching Rookidee struggle for a moment before recalling the bird back into its’ ball. “Oof! Gutted that I lost… but I’d expect nothing less from my rival.” Hop pouted, but a smile quickly returned to his face. “That was a good battle, thank you Robi!”

Robin started to respond when they both noticed Leon on the edge of the practice field, hands in front of his chest, balled into fists. He looked so pumped, so ready for a battle. “You’ve fully convinced me! I’ll be-“

“Like he wasn’t going to endorse us before.” Robin whispered to Hop while Leon started raving about how excited he was for the two of them. Hop chuckled and bumped Robin with his shoulder. “Right? He wouldn’t say no to his little bro and best friend!”

“Take these,” Leon pulled two envelopes out from somewhere under his cloak, handing them to the two trainers in front of him. “Give these to the staff working the desk in Motostoke at the stadium, you’ll need them to get started. You two are still young in your training, and a little rough around the edges, but I think you’ll become strong challengers.”

“You’ll have to watch your back, I think, Champion.” Magnolia smiled at Leon, laughing a little when the older boy rolled his eyes.

“You two are going to face hardships on your travels you have to be ready for just about anything. And you’ll have to go through the wilds, when you do, you have to be ready to face Pokémon that will be a lot stronger-“

“What’s that?!” Hop cut off his brother, pointing to the sky where a red streak was headed towards them. “Is that some kind of Pokémon?!” Hop and Robin ran over when it landed, not hardly making dust rise as it hit the ground. “Look Robin!”

Robin looked down, tilting her head at the two small stones. “Professor?”

Magnolia started to make her way over when Hop let out a gasp. “Wait! These are Wishing Stars!” Hop picked the up, holding them out to Robin. “Here, have one! With one of these, we can Dynamax! I can’t wait!”

“Trust you to pull this.” Leon laughed as he and Magnolia came over to the two trainers. “They say Wishing Stars fall down for those who have a true wish in their heart, you know.”

“I will be the greatest trainer ever! I _WILL_ be the greatest trainer ever!” Hop danced around, his arms in the air above his head. “I will be the greatest trainer ever!” He shouted one more time, eyes wide. “There! I said it three times, so my wish should come true!”

“Yeah…” Robin scratched her cheek, a sheepish smile on her lips. “But you said it out loud.”

“WHAT?!” Hop’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head as he gawked at Robin. “WAIT!”

“Aren’t you silly, Hop? They won’t do anything for you in that state, give them to me and I’ll have them sorted for you come morning.” Magnolia shook her head as she took the stones from the two of them. She looked over, waving to someone behind the others.

“Seems I came back at the right time!” Sonia laughed, Yamper next to her happily barking away. “I can cook dinner as a congratulations for getting your endorsement letters! You’ve gotta be hungry, right? I’ve found a new curry recipe I’ve been wanting to try out!”

The moon glowed above Robin as she sat on the stone fence around the professors house, Knightwing perched on her shoulder and Aquo tucked between her stomach and legs as she hugged her knees. “Tomorrow is a big day guys, are you ready?” Knightwing chirped, rubbing his face against Robin’s cheek while Aquo snored quietly where he was curled up.

“It is a big day. So, what are you doing out here?”

Robin turned her head, feeling Knightwing wiggly under her chin and to her other shoulder so she could see Leon approaching. “I can’t sleep.” She gave a faint smile when he wrapped his cloak around her shoulders to help her stay warm. “Thanks.”

“Of course.” Leon hopped up onto the stone fence, glancing to Robin. “Can’t sleep because you’re excited?”

“Not really, more like… I’m nervous… scared…” Robin leaned her head on Leon’s shoulder, sighing some. “I didn’t get to make it to even this point last time… I don’t know what to expect.”

“No one does. But you’ll do great out there. I’m honestly more worried about Hop, he’s a great kid and he’ll make for a great trainer, but that battle… you’re already out battling him.” Leon pressed his head against hers, a sigh leaving him. “I guess that’s just me being an older brother.”

“It’ll all work itself out, I think.” Robin smiled as she reached down, patting Leon’s knee. “C’mon. We should go to bed.”

Hop raced down the cobblestone street, laughter following behind him as he ran. Robin huffed as she trotted after him, already out of breath from running up the stairs leading down to Route 2. “Hop! Why do you have to run so fast?!”

Hop only laughed more as he made the distance between the two of them greater. “You’ll never beat me to the station at that pace, Robi!” He turned and awkwardly ran backwards, waving at Robin who was red in the face from running. “C’mon!”

Robin slowed to a walk and worked on catching her breath while Hop bounced on his toes down at the station, waiting for her. “Your parents should have named you energizer with how much energy you have.” She laughed as she caught up to him finally, her legs already feeling wobbly.

“Hey, I have something for you. As a uh… as a thank you present, for agreeing to do the Gym Challenge with me.” Hop held out a small disk that was barely the size of his palm, a shy smile on his face. “It’s the TM for Swift. Leon gave it to me forever ago, I want you to have it.”

“Hop, you don’t have to do that.” Robin carefully took the small disk, a squeak leaving her when her Rotom phone was right next to her head.

“Good morning! If you put the TM Disk here,” A small slot opened on the side of the phone, a smile on Rotom’s face. “I’ll boot it up and transfer the information to a Pokémon in your team so they can learn it!”

“Oh, thanks, Rotom. I’m good for now though.” Robin watched as Rotom pouted for a second before disappearing into her bag again. “Thank you, Hop.”

“No, thank you. If it weren’t for you, Leon would have never given me this chance. He’s afraid I’ll get sick again.” Hop shoved his hands in his pockets before turning to the station. “The train is waiting, so we’d better get going.”

Robin smiled some as she headed in after Hop, though her blood ran cold and her body froze when she heard someone behind her. “ **ROBIN AMARYLLIS**! Where do you think you’re going, young lady!” Robin turned on her heel, seeing her mother and Hop’s mother coming up to the station. “You were going to leave, without saying goodbye?!”

Robin gasped when her mom hugged her, holding her daughter tight against her. “My baby girl is growing up so much! And she was just going to leave me!”

“Mom! C’mon! It’s not like I’ll be gone forever.” Robin pushed against her mother, glaring at her. “I’m not a baby anyways, I’m seventeen!”

“I know sweety.” Her mother gave a soft smile before taking a pack off her back that Robin hadn’t noticed before now. “I brought you some camping gear, you’ll need it for your trip.”

“Thanks, mum.” Hop hooked his camping gear to the bottom of his bag, grinning from ear to ear. “And just think how lucky you are – mother to the first ever pair of Champion brothers!”

“Of course, you will be, darling.” Hop’s mom mused the boys hair as she gave Robin a wink. “Anyway, do have fun and take care of yourselves!”

Robin and Hop found a place to sit on the train, eyes locked on the window as they waited to take off. Robin finally looked at her phone, pulling up information about everything she would possibly encounter. The train ride to Motostoke would take half a day through the Wilds, then they would have three days to run around until the opening ceremony. She glanced up, seeing Sonia getting on the train as well. She must be doing research for her grandmother.

The two trainers laughed as they played games with each other on their phones, took naps and snacked on the train ride. Only a few hours passed before the train came to a stop. “Ladies and gentlemen, The Wilds.” A worker spoke over the intercom as everyone was ushered out.

“Why did we stop in the Wilds?” Hop asked a worker when they got off, frowning at the man.

“Yes, I’m sorry to tell you that the train is halted due to a flock off Wooloo on the tracks.” The man shrugged, his hands on his hips. “Sadly, we don’t like to chase Pokémon off the tracks as we worry about damage to the tracks, so we let them take their time.”

“What’s there to be sorry about!? This is brilliant!” Hop turned and ran out the door of the station, leaving Robin alone with a few other passengers.

“Excuse me, miss.”

Robin turned, seeing a boy and a girl about her age coming up to her. “Yeah?”

“We weren’t meaning to eavesdrop, but we heard you and your friend talking; you’re apart of the Gym Challenge?” The girl was holding two Poké Balls, her cheeks pink as she thrust them forward. “Please take these as a way of us saying you’ll do great! They’ll help you when you’re battling Gigantamax Pokémon!”

“O-Oh! I couldn’t possibly-“ Robin started when the boy urged them into her hands.

“Please! Truth be told, we were going to go in, but we saw all of the huge Pokémon out in the Wilds… and we just can’t!” The boy stammered, both of their cheeks bright red.

“I…” Robin stared down at the Poké Balls, smiling awkwardly. “Al…alright, I’ll take them.” She put the two balls in her bag and slipped outside, seeing Hop and Sonia waiting for her. She looked passed them, her eyes going wide as she say the Wilds, lakes and trees stretching out before her.

“Robin! I wanted to talk to you and Hop for a moment.” Sonia smiled as Robin numbly came over, barely registering the two. “I’ve been quite curious about that Pokémon you two met in the forest, I think I’ll look into it, so the timing works out fine! I can follow you two and keep an eye on your for Gran and your parents while doing my research.” She put a hand on her hip while the other twirled her bright red hair, frowning at them. “Don’t forget, you have two days to get to Motostoke, you don’t want to miss the Opening Ceremony, alright? It’s really import-“ Sonia gasped, seeing that Robin had yanked off her shoes and was bolting out into the Wilds. “Robin!”

Robin had her shoes in one hand while she held two small Poké Balls in the other, her feet pounding on the ground as she ran past the gates. She threw the two balls, watching as Aquo and Knightwing sprang out, eyes wide as they looked around them. As she ran, Robin yanked her hair out of the braids, letting it flow behind her as she bound into the vast area before her. Her heart pounding as the warming spring air hit her skin, she dropped her shoes and pack, shaking off her jacket so she didn’t have so much weight on her.

Aquo and Knightwing were hard on her heels, playfully bumping into each other as they followed their trainer. Robin jumped and spun, laughing when the two Pokémon tackled into her when she landed on her butt. She fell back, enjoying the way the grass scratched her skin and the way the sun warmed her.

The moment was short lived though, as something created a shadow over her. Her violet eyes snapped open, leaving her staring up at an Onix. Her Rotom phone cried from her bag, its’ screen flashing red at her. “Danger! Pokémon’s level too high! Pokémon’s level too high!”

Robin rolled, recalling her two Pokémon as she got up and dove away from the Onix that slammed down head first where she had just been, the force of the blow caused her to bounce and stumble. She caught herself with one hand on the ground, she pushed herself up and took off towards her property, hearing Hop and Sonia calling out to her.

“Oi! Over here!”

Robin looked over, seeing a boy with dark hair and bright blue eyes that were striking against his tanned skin. He threw out a Poké Ball, a light brown Pokémon with leaf like ears and a leaf like tail landing in front of the Onix. “Get to safety, I’ll cover you!”

Robin slowed her run as she watched the boy and the odd-looking Pokémon face off against the Onix, Rotom appeared next to her, his voice buzzing in her ears. “Leafeon; This Pokémon’s tail is blade sharp, with a fantastic cutting edge that can slice right through large trees.”

“Leafeon! Use Leaf Blade!” The little curls of green glowed on the Pokémon as its’ eyes narrowed and it lunged at Onix, taking it out in one hit. “Not really a fair fight, but anything for a cute girl.” The boy turned and winked at Robin who stood there, stunned at how easily the Leafeon took down the Onix.

“But… how?” Robin put her shoes on as quick as she could before walking over to the boy and his Pokémon.

“Oh, easy. That Onix was a low level, compared to my Leafeon. Plus, it’s super weak to her grass type moves.” He held his hand out, shaking Robin’s before she started scratching the Pokémon behind its’ large ears. “I’m Tobias, and you are?”

“I’m Robin. Thank you for helping me out.” She looked up from his Pokémon, seeing the smile on his face. “Say, are you going to be in the Gym Challenge?”

“Me? No, I did it a few years back but didn’t make it far. I’ve got a job with the rangers now to keep the Wilds in check. That Onix was straying too far from his area anyways.” Tobias laughed lightly, glancing back at Hop and Sonia. “You might want to watch where you’re going from now on, I wouldn’t want you getting caught off guard like that again. I won’t always be around to help you out.”

Robin laughed, giving Leafeon one last scratch before standing up. “I’ll make sure to pay attention next time. Thank you, again.”

“No problem, I’ll be rooting for you in the challenge.” Tobias waved as he walked away. He paused a little way off, glancing back and seeing Leafeon sitting next to Robin. “Oi! Leaf! We gotta go!” He rolled his eyes when Leafeon let out an airy cry, wiggling a Poké Ball at the Pokémon. “I’ll put you back in your ball!” Leafeon huffed and rubbed against Robin’s leg before running off to join her trainer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone else run right up to the first big Pokémon they say in the Wilds? I sure did. Let me tell ya, I almost pooped my pants when I saw the level of Onix compared to my Pokémon! Time for Robin to learn her lesson! ;) Thank you guys for reading!
> 
> XOXO


	4. Opening Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin is slowly building her dream team, all the while Hop is growing as a trainer. Time has come for the opening ceremony, who will keep their cool, who will sink?

“This time, make sure you pay attention when you’re out there, hm, Robin?” Sonia barked as Robin messed with Rotom, trying to hook up the Pokémon Box Link the older trainer gave her. “You can’t just go rushing around every where like that. There are stronger Pokémon out there than you’re ready for. And Leon was worried about Ho-“ Sonia gasped when Robin waved her off, starting out into the Wilds again. “Robin! Listen, it’s really-“

“It’s not really dangerous out there! I’ll be fine! Why are you treating me like I’m a kid? I’m seventeen!” Robin whirled, biting back at Sonia.

Sonia flinched and glared at Robin. “Because I’m worried about you, alright!? I’ve known you since you first moved here too, alright? It wasn’t just Hop and Leon back then.”

Robin puffed her cheeks and looked away from Sonia. “I’m not-“

“Robin, please. Leon asked me to look out for you guys, okay? I’m just trying to do an old friend a favor.”

Robin’s cheeks started to burn as her annoyance came back tenfold. “You can tell Leon- actually, I’ll tell him since I see him again in two days. I don’t need a babysitter! I’ll become Champion so I can figure out what actually happened in the forest that day!”

Sonia took half a step back, her eyes wide as she watched Robin turn and run into the area before Motostoke. “Wait… what?” She glanced over, seeing one of the Challenge workers standing nearby with his arms crossed, brow raised at her. “Sorry.” Sonia let out a sheepish laugh before running off after Robin and Hop.

Robin made sure to look around this time as she ran, not wanting any big Pokémon to grab her by surprise again. She looked over, seeing a dog like Pokémon that had stripes similar to a tiger. Rotom popped out of her bag, a screen coming up that had a picture of the Pokémon staring up at her. “Growlithe; a fire type Pokémon. Extremely loyal, it will fearlessly bark at any opponent to protect its Trainer from harm.”

Robin pulled out a Poké Ball, tossing it into the air. Before she caught it, Aquo landed on her shoulder, staring down at the Growlithe. Robin let out a gasp though when the Growlithe rubbed against her legs. She pulled out a different Poké Ball, curiosity getting the best of her as she held it out to the small Pokémon. “You wanna join my team?” The Growlithe barked, its’ large fluffy tail wagging as a red light wrapped around it. Robin dropped the ball, watching it shake once before singing about catching the Pokémon. “Huh… I didn’t think it would be that easy to catch a-“

A warm breath on the back of her neck had the tiny hairs on the back of her neck and arms raising, her body went stiff for a moment before she turned, gasping at the large black and brown horse Pokémon that towered over her. “Holy shit!”

“Mudsdale; a Draft horse Pokémon. Mudsdale has so much stamina that it could carry over 10 tons across the Galar region without rest or sleep!” Her Rotom chimed in happily as she fell back, unable to pick herself up as the Mudsdale turned and walked away from her. Robin looked over, seeing there was a small herd of them with a small donkey Pokémon. “Mudbray; it-“ Rotom let out a cry when Robin grabbed the phone, throwing it in her bag. “Thanks.”

She went to get up when a small group of Bunnelby hopped by her, a few glancing her way before running away. “I’m going to want a shower before the Opening Ceremony.” Robin grumbled as she stood and headed down the path towards Motostoke.

Rotom popped back out of the bag, grumbling at Robin. “You know, something they didn’t tell you about my features, I can also help you trade Pokémon.”

“Trade Pokémon?”

“Yeah, give it a try!” Rotom dropped into Robin’s hands, a menu for all sorts of different things. Robin clicked on ‘Surprise Trade’ then clicking on her Blipbug. “Now we wait for a moment.” Rotom whistled before beeping at her, letting her know the trade was complete. “You’ve received a Deino!”

“A… Deino?” Robin tossed the Poké Ball that once held her Blipbug, but instead of the little bug Pokémon, a small black and blue Pokémon came out. It’s fur hung down over its eyes, but Robin could feel it staring at her. “Uhm… hi buddy.” She looked at Rotom again, her eyes wide. “How is that possible?!”

“Simple! I can communicate with other Rotom phones and we just exchange data, that’s all anything really is, really!” Rotom took back to the air next to Robin, scanning Deino. “Deino; an irate Pokémon. Because it can’t see, this Pokémon is constantly biting at everything it touches, trying to keep track of its surroundings.”

Robin let out a yelp when the Deino bit down on her calf, tears pooling in her eyes as she swatted at the small Pokémon. “Could have mentioned the biting thing a moment sooner!” She gasped as she pulled on the Pokémon, feeling it let go of her leg. “Alright, try not to bite me, please.”

Robin watched her team run around the area surrounding the tent she was putting up, a smile on her lips when Deino went to nip at Growlithe. Knightwing and Aquo were playing with the Eevee and Pikachu she received from the two trainers in the train station. She wiped her hands off on her pants once the tent was built, a sigh leaving her. “Good thing I can read instructions. Hopefully the next time I put this thing up it’ll be easier.”

Once Robin got camp set up, her team gathered around, patiently waiting while she chopped up some berries she had gathered earlier. She watched as Growlithe and Eevee rolled around, play fighting with each other. Aquo looked over at Pikachu who was staring at him with such intent that he let out a small hiss, clearly not eager to make friends with the yellow mouse. “Play nice, Aquo.”

Robin gasped, lunging and catching Pikachu whose cheeks were gathering static and almost touching Aquo. “N-No! Pikachu!” She let out a cry when Pikachu let off electricity, shocking her as she rolled away from Aquo. “Who… who needs an outlet… when you have a Pikachu?” She panted as she sat up, eyes wide and hair wild from the shock. “Thanks, Pikachu.”

“Pikaaaa.” Pikachu frowned at Robin, annoyed she ruined the fun.

“Yeah, yeah. But you can’t go shocking your teammates. Leave the shocking for Hop’s team.”

After she got the food passed around, Robin leaned back against the tree, watching her team eat the bread curry she made. She never thought she would actually enjoy being a trainer again, but here she was. She looked down, stroking the top of Aquo’s head as he slowly munched on the food she made.

A day later, and Robin was shrugging her bag onto her shoulders. She had caught a Metapod, Bunnelby, Hoothoot and Stufful. She looked up the stairs and towards the town ahead of her. “Here we are guys.” She breathed in deep as she started the climb up. She paused at the top, people walked around everywhere with their Pokémon, one girl had a Minccino riding on her shoulder while a man walked with an Onix trailing behind him. The sight of the Onix made Robin cringe some.

The city stretched for miles, there were places to go down and up and over. Robin felt almost flustered as she walked in, wiggling around people as they all moved. She looked over, seeing a Pokémon Center to her left. “Guess we can start there.” She stopped as she rounded the corner, frowning when she saw Sonia waving at her.

“Hey, you made it!”

“Did you have any doubts?”

“Well… no. Not for you.” Sonia followed Robin into the building, smiling some. “Rotomi is free, you could make a league card for yourself.”

“I’m not registered yet, Sonia. It would be kind of pointless for me to make one right now.” Robin handed her Pokémon over to the nurse behind the counter, resting a hip against it as she waited.

“I’m just trying to make conversation, alright? I’m sorry I got under your skin the other day.”

“I understand you guys want to look out for Hop and myself, but we’re older now. Hop isn’t going to get sick and I’m not going to get lost in a forest next to my house. Besides, I’ve actually battled Hop’s team, I can tell that they’ll do anything for him.” Robin crossed her arms, not noticing that the nurse was done with her Pokémon. “We’ll be fine. We’ll kick ass all the way through the Gym Challenge and you’ll learn what you need to on your trip.”

Sonia let out a sigh, a small smile forming on her lips when Robin took her Pokémon back. “Promise that if either of you get into a tight spot, you’ll call me?”

“Your number is already programmed into my Rotom. So is Leon’s. Granted I’d call you first and then Leon since you would go get him first so he wouldn’t get lost.”

“Alright.” Sonia led the way out of the center, pointing to the end of the road to their left. “Go that way to go to the Stadium so you can get registered, I’ll catch up with you later, alright?”

Robin waved to Sonia, rolling her eyes when she saw the older girl go into the clothing store. She looked up at the lift, her chest tight as she moved closer. She started for the ramp when a Pokémon landed just behind her, letting out a growl as it nuzzled the back of her head. She knew that nose, it brought a smile to her face as she turned, stroking Charizard’s snout. “Hey, buddy.”

“I’d get lost without Charizard. Even with that hulking stadium in the skyline.” Leon laughed, petting Charizard’s neck.

“Does he just use you and abuse you.” Robin baby talked to Charizard, rubbing her nose against his. “Does he ever feed you? You look skinny, Char.” The Charizard let out a weak roar, his little arms patting his rounded belly. “Oh, I know. How mean of him.” She laughed and pulled out some leftover curry from the night before. “Here, have some curry.” She held the dish while Charizard inhaled the food, growling from how hungry he was. She turned a cruel eye to Leon, frowning at him. “Sending Sonia to babysit, Lee?”

Leon flinched, gawking at how Charizard just gulped down the food while his trainer was about to get attacked by an angry female. “I-I… I can explain, Robi!”

“Uh huh. Sure.” She put the dish away when Charizard burped after he finished. “I don’t need one, neither does Hop.” She turned away, taking the lift before Leon could get on. She gasped, nearly falling over from the speed at which the lift moved. “They need a warning sign on this.” She growled as she got off as quick as she could.

Hop jumped up and down, waving at Robin as she got off the lift. “There you are! I was wondering when you would get here! You’ll be one of the last ones to register, Robi!”

“I know. That’s the point.” Robin patted Hop’s shoulder as she went into the building.

“You meant to be last?! But why?! Aren’t you nervous! I’m getting nervous!” Hop shouted, his eyes wide as he followed her in.

“I can tell.” Robin stuck her pinky in her ear, acting like the was cleaning it out. “It’s a little bit of a dirty tactic, but if I walk in here, calm as a Flygon, then everyone will get nervous and those that think they’re weak will want to stay away from me, those that think they’re tough shit will want to battle me. It’s something my dad taught me. As long as I’m not working myself up, I won’t get nervous. If I do something like this, then I’m not making myself look big, others are.”

“I don’t understand, but if you aren’t nervous, then I guess I can try to calm down.” Hop put a finger to his chin, waiting while Robin walked up to the counter.

Robin crossed her arms, waiting on the person in the pink trench coat in front of her. She raised a brow when he turned, pushing his curly white hair away from his face before shoving passed Hop. She rolled her eyes, catching Hop’s arm when he started to get worked up. “Just ignore him, I’m sure we’ll be meeting him out there in no time.”

“If you’re here to register, please step forward.”

Robin turned back to the guy at the counter, holding out her endorsement letter. “Sorry, here you go.” She glanced over when Hop held his out too. “You haven’t registered yet?”

“No! I was waiting on you! I’ll tell you right now, I haven’t kept my cool at _all_ in the last day since I got here.”

“Well, fancy that. This is the first time we’ve had a challenger endorsed by the Champion. Let alone two! I wonder what’s come over Leon this year… the two of you must be something special.” The man laughed as he clicked away at the computer in front of him. “Hm, Hop, we’ll get you done first. What number would you like?”

“189!”

“Alright. Your uniform will be ready in a little bit if you’ll just wait over there with the others.” The man turned to Robin, raising a brow at her. “And your number, Robin?”

“666.”

The man stared at her, a bored expression on his face. “Really?”

“Yup.”

“Can’t think of anything more creative?”

“420?”

“Taken.”

“069?”

“Taken.”

“666 it is.” Robin laughed as she walked away, joining up with Hop as they waited.

When Robin and Hop walked out, a small group of challengers followed, but they were stopped by a few Gym Challenge workers. “If you will all follow us to the Budew Drop Inn.” The two turned, leading the way one door down to the large hotel. Robin was one of the first ones in, her eyes going to Sonia who standing beneath a large statue.

“Hey guys! All registered?” Sonia smiled, turning to them. “Say, you two have heard of the longest day, right?” When both nodded, she continued. “The land was assaulted by gigantic Pokémon… but they were defeated by a single young hero bearing a sword and shield. We still don’t understand what kind of sword and shield the hero actually had.”

“You guys… don’t really believe it was a human that saved Galar, right?” Robin put her hands on her hips, frowning. “Dad told me that back in Kalos, two Pokémon, Xerneas and Yveltal saved that region.”

“You know, I’ve always thought about that. Your dad told my gran about that. Did he ever tell you that his best friend was the one that helped wake those two up?” The look on Robin’s face told Sonia the answer was no. “Anyways… the Hero helped save the day from whatever this “Black Storm” was.” She shrugged, winking at Hop. “I guess this Hero must have been as strong as Lee, then.”

“You bet!” Hop laughed as he started for the stairs, clearly bored of this conversation having nothing to do with Pokémon. “Looks like you’re going to have your hands full with plenty of research, Sonia!”

Sonia shook her head, shrugging at Robin. “I’ll muddle through somehow, I guess.” She put a hand on her hip and twirled her hair around her finger. “Guess you better get going, time to rest up for your big day tomorrow.”

Robin sat on the balcony of her room, watching the battles between challengers in the street below. Hop had asked her to go, but she knew she was going to need rest. Tomorrow would be taken up with the opening ceremony and last-minute fittings for uniforms. She sighed, sipping from her warm tea. Hop was currently battling against a kid no older than eleven. “Woo, go Hop.” She cheered, her voice monotone as someone knocked on her door. “It’s open.”

Leon poked his head in, seeing Pikachu, Growlithe and Deino all curled up on the foot of the bed snoozing. He paused at the bathroom, seeing Eevee and Aquo playing in the water while Knightwing landed on his head. “You’re not down there battling?”

“No.” Robin turned, pouring Leon a cup of tea as he sat out on the balcony with her. “You’re not down there cheering your brother on?”

“He knows I’m cheering him on. I didn’t see you down there… so I decided to come check on you.”

“I’m fine.”

“You sound angry.”

Robin huffed and plopped down in the chair next to Leon. “I’m fine, really. I just… don’t like being around this many people. This is all so different from Kalos.”

“Yeah? Did your dad tell you much about Kalos?”

“Some. There’s no… opening ceremony like this, there aren’t battles in the streets and… it’s just different. Kalos seems so small now from when I was a kid.” Robin watched as Knightwing tucked himself down into Leon’s hair, a soft giggle leaving her. “Your hair must be extra soft today.”

“It is. I went and got it done after getting here. Oleana got onto me saying it was unruly.” Leon relaxed, watching his friend. “I guess I better get going, let you get some rest so I can go cheer Hop on.”

“He’s already won.” Robin sipped at her tea, able to hear Hop cheering. “Knightwing, if you’d be so kind.” She held up a little baggy that Knightwing plucked out of her hand before diving down, dropping some confetti for her friend. “Thanks, Knightwing!” Hop laughed as he danced in his confetti. “See? I’m cheering him on.” Robin winked, patting Leon on the shoulder as she walked by him. “Shut the door when you leave?”

The next day went by in a blur, everyone was told that after the ceremony they couldn’t leave as they were to attend a party afterwards to try and get sponsors and to get to know the other challengers and the leaders. It would be difficult to stay when it was all said and done, but if the leaders were here, there was no point in moving forward. Robin looked up at the screen in the locker room, there were so many trainers in this small room that it made Robin a little nervous, but then Hop bumped against her, reminding her that she wasn’t alone in this crowd. “ _Ladies and Gentlemen!_ ” The televisions in the room scanned the stadium outside, zooming in on Chairman Rose and his assistant; Oleana.

“ _I know that everyone gather here… and everyone watching from home have all been waiting for this big moment! It is my pleasure to announce that finally – the Galar region Gym Challenge will now begin! Yes! The Gym Challenge! Participants must defeat eight Gym Leaders; gathering all eight Gym Badges to prove their skills as a Trainer! Only the worthiest will have the honor of challenging the greatest Champion in history!”_ Chairman Rose threw his arms out, waving them to the door that led to the room where the Leaders were lying in wait. “ _Now, I would like to invite the Gym Leaders to show themselves!”_

“The Fighting farmer! Here’s the Grass-type expert, Milo!” The crowd erupted as a man with pink hair and wide green eyes walked out, waving happily to his adoring fans. Behind him was the beautiful Nessa, she was dubbed the Raging Wave from how hard her Water-type Pokémon hit. Her dark skin caused her bright blue eyes to pop, making it hard to look away from her and to the older gentleman that trotted out after her.

Said to be the hardest Gym out there, it was the Fire-type veteran, Kabu. Just after him was the youngest Gym Leader anyone had seen in a while, the Masked Alister. Behind him was the Fairy-type leader, Opal. Walking with her was the gorgeous Melony; Ice-type master. The crowd quieted, knowing who was coming next. As soon as he stepped out the crowd went wild. The dragon tamer, Raihan jogged out, waving to the crowd. He turned, holding his phone up as he took a selfie with the crowd behind him. “ _Unfortunately, we’re missing one, but…”_ The camera panned to the leaders that stood before their fans, Nessa and Raihan took a quick selfie together, Milo popping in behind them with a smile of his own. “ _And ladies and gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to welcome out challengers this year!”_

The doors opened and the challengers all ran out, Robin froze though, her eyes wide as she watched the others run out. Her throat clamped up, her stomach knotted and twisted. The world was silenced as she stared down the long dark hall that opened up into the bright lights of the Stadium Pitch. People pushed passed her, excitement buzzed all around her, but she couldn’t hear a single cheer. Then a hand grabbed hers and she was being pulled behind Hop who was shouting her name. “Robin! C’mon!”

Robin pulled back hard, she felt her wrist pop, but she didn’t care. Her breaths came out rapid and shallow, she didn’t know what was coming over her. She never felt this amount of fear before. Then Hop was in her face again, slamming his forehead against hers. “… wake up! Who else is going to be my rival!? You gotta wake up!”

Robin reeled away, rubbing her forehead as tears built up. “You didn’t have to slam your head into mine!”

“I wouldn’t have to if you would get a grip! This is no time to panic, we gotta go out there and show them our faces!” Hop grabbed her hand again, giving her an anchor to latch onto. A noise had them both looking back, seeing Aquo and Scorbunny running out after them, a worker running behind them, yelling at them to get back.

Robin smiled and ran out with her Sobble on her shoulder while Hop carried Scorbunny out, laughing as they ran into a cluster of challengers who gasped when they saw the two Pokémon. Robin tossed Aquo up, catching him when he came dropping back down to her. She laughed more and ran around with Hop, the crowd was laughing and before she knew it, the two were on the big screen as they ran around, causing the other trainers to dodge out of the way as Aquo spewed water into the air, getting everyone wet.


	5. Gym Challenge; Begin!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin's team grows, as do rivalries and the bonds she has with her Pokémon. After some delicious food, it's time for Robin and her team to get to work in the mines!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! Sorry for such a long hiatus guys! Robin is back and her team is growing! Thank you for being so patient with me and all that jazz. I'll be trying to alternate between this story and my Dragon Quest Builders 2 one, but I promise this one is being worked on!
> 
> With Love,  
> Chika

“Man! That was great, Robi! Standing on that pitch… in the stadium… in front of everyone!” Hop bounced around once they had changed, his hair sticking up everywhere due to it still being wet.

“So, you’re the two Trainers our Champion endorsed himself! And what trouble makers you are.” Robin and Hop whirled around, gawking as Chairman Rose walked up to them, Leon a few steps behind him. “Welcome, it’s a delight to meet you. I’m Rose, as you know.” He smiled at them, his eyes going to their wrists, seeing the Dynamax bands. “Oh, and what’s this? I see you both already possess Dynamax Bands.”

Robin took a step back, her breath shaking as her hands fisted at her sides. Her stomach knotted up again as her throat threatened to close. Leon saw it before the others did and he was on top of her, catching her as she went to her knees. “Sh… put your head between your knees and breathe, Robi.”

_“Darling, who is that?”_

_Robin pushed her door open a crack, barely able to see the front door just passed the kitchen. There had been a knock at the door, but it was late at night so they shouldn’t have any visitors. Her father got up from the table, glancing back at her mother who was stroking the head of a small Rookidee. “Hello?” Her father took a surprised step back, eyes wide at who he saw. “Oh… uhm… What can I do for you?”_

_A man stepped in, smiling at Robin’s father. He turned that smile to her mother who was now standing. “I’ve heard many great things about you, Mr. Amaryllis. I was wondering if you had some time, to chat.”_

_“Well, it is rather late, Mr. Rose…”_

_“I know, it should be a quick talk.” Rose smiled, another man in a white lab coat coming in behind him. “You come from Kalos, yes? You know how the Mega Stone Cuffs work, yes?”_

“Oh my.” Rose lifted a brow, frowning at Leon and Robin. “Well, hopefully she’ll be ready for her journey tomorrow.” He waited a moment, seeing Robin was starting to slowly lift her head. He gave a slight tilt of his head, meeting those brilliant violet eyes; so full of rage that he had to look away. He’d seen eyes like that somewhere else before. “Now, I’m terribly sorry, but there is some urgent business I need to attend to, I must be on my way. I’m sure I’ll see you at the party tonight, yes?”

The three watched as Rose walked away, leaving them alone in the large room. Leon looked to Robin who was slowly sitting back now, her cheeks showed white lines from how hard she was clenching her teeth. “Are you alright?”

“I… yeah, I’ll be fine.”

“The excitement of everything probably just go to you!” Hop leaned in, smiling at Robin. “Why don’t you go rest for a little while and then I’ll come get you when its’ time for the party.”

“Right.” Robin slowly stood, thankful when both brothers went to help her. “I’ll be fine, I’m just going to lie down.”

Robin looked around the conference room, it was full of new trainers and gym leaders with a few sponsors. She had been here for an hour already and talked to most of the trainers and gym leaders, save for Piers who wasn’t there and Raihan who was busy taking selfies and posing with trainers. She looked over, seeing the boy who pushed her and Hop out of the way back at the hotel. He was leaning against the wall, frowning at the crowd with his hands in his pockets. She thought about going over and introducing herself, but then Hop came over, grabbing her hands and bouncing. “Yes, Hop?”

“Lee said we could head out, if you want!”

“How did you talk him into that?!” Robin gasped, yanking Hop away from the other trainers so they wouldn’t overhear the two.

“I wouldn’t shut up about how many Pokémon I wanted to catch and how I was going to throw my Poké Ball and about how it wasn’t fair that we had already talked to a lot of people and needed to stretch our legs and-“

“So, you annoyed the crap out of him. Got it.” Robin laughed and pulled Hop out into the main area of the hotel, eyes gleaming with the need to get going. “Alright, Hop. This is when our journey really begins.”

Robin stretched her arms over her head as she left the Pokécenter, glancing over when she saw Leon leaning against the side of the building. The setting sun highlighted the purple in his hair while it made her own violet eyes sparkling. “Thank you, Lee.”

“Thanks for what?”

“For letting Hop and I go for the night.”

Leon pushed off the wall and mused Robin’s hair, grinning at her. “Just remember what I did for you and that you should go easy on me when you get the Champion Cup.”

Robin let out a laugh and smacked his hand away. “You wish!” She watched as he turned to leave, hands behind his head as he let out a few notes in whistle. “Hey… Lee?”

Leon paused, glancing back at her. “What’s up?”

She ran up to him, giving him a shy smile. “Thank you, for making me take this leap.” She leaned up on her tiptoes, kissing his cheek before running off towards the bridge. He reached up, touching his cheek lightly, golden eyes wide as he watched her take off.

Robin ran through the giant gate, breathing in deep as the cooler evening air hit her, throwing her arms out as she jumped over some rocks and into the tall grass. She laughed as she ran, several Growlithe’s and Zigzagoon’s running around her. She made quick work of that first area, catching a Zigzagoon and a Gossifleur. Once the ball clicked on the Gossifleur, Aquo started rubbing his head against the ground, a long whine leaving him.

Robin walked over to him after she picked up the Poké Ball, rubbing his head. “Aquo? What’s wrong?” She let out a sharp noise when Rotom was suddenly in her face.

“Robin! Robin! Aquo has become stronger now, he would like to evolve!”

Robin blinked a few times, seeing a gleam in the Sobble’s eyes; she smiled, rubbing his head. “Go ahead, Aquo!” She leaned back, watching the gleam spread from the Sobble’s eyes and over his smooth skin until he was covered. The shine faded, leaving a gecko-like Pokémon that had blue and purple covering its’ head with green toes. It looked up at her, letting out a deeper cry. “Rotom, what’s this evolution called?”

“Drizzile! A clever combatant, this Pokémon battles using water balloons created with moisture secreted from its palms!” Rotom chirped before disappearing into her bag again.

A girl with long, wavy green hair was walking through the tall grass, her dark brown eyes were wide in bewilderment as she listened to the steady _thump, thump, clap_ coming from just further up the path. The tall grass tickled her calves as she walked along, making sure to watch for any wild Pokémon running around nearby. She walked up the hill, able to see a tent just up from her where the music was coming from.

When she came to a stop at the top, she saw a girl dancing around with her Pokémon. She had her ashy-blonde hair braided into two pigtails and she had bright violet eyes, even in the setting sunlight. The Deino running around the camp pulled his head out of the mud as the little radio next to the tent and the girl sang at the same time; “ _Mud on your face, ya big disgrace!_ ”

All the Pokémon turned, staring at the newcomer when she giggled at the scene in front of her. She stumbled back when a Growlithe ran up to her. “Oh, my! I’m sorry little one!”

The girl that was singing and dancing laughed at her Growlithe and the girl. “Sorry, Growlithe really likes new people. I’m Robin, by the way.”

The girl took Robin’s hand, using the hand to help herself up, smiling. “I’m Willow. It’s nice to meet a fellow Gym Challenger out here. Do you dance around with your Pokémon very often?”

Robin’s cheeks were dusted with pink as she looked away. “Not all the time… I just know come morning, we’re going through the mines and then taking on Milo, so I wanted to get them pumped for the battles ahead.”

Willow’s eyes sparkled as she watched Robin. “Oh, wow. That’s a good idea! My Pokémon always seem eager to battle, even if I’m not…”

“You’ll get used to it.” Robin waved her hand, beckoning Willow to follow her. “You can stay here for the night and eat with my team!”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude-“

“I’m inviting you, silly.” Robin laughed as she went back to her cooking pot, slowly stirring the contents. “I’m making spicy scrambled egg curry; I’ve made more than enough to feed two teams.”

Willow pulled out three Poké Balls, frowning at them. “I don’t really have a complete team… I can’t seem to find many Pokémon. Well… I find them… but I’m garbage at catching them.”

Robin looked over her shoulder as a Vulpix, Grookey and Rolycoly came out when Willow tossed the three balls. “Want me to help you find some more? You’ll be going into a Grass-Type gym, it’ll be easiest to use Vulpix and then if we can catch you a Sizzlipede you can use those two.”

“Why are you helping me?” Willow sat next to Robin, helping her cook by carefully fanning the fire. “Not that I’m not grateful for the offer…”

“I want everyone to give it their all. A lot of trainers don’t make it passed the first three gyms, and it’s usually because they’re ill equipped. We know what the gyms are, you just have to play to their weaknesses. And you have to hype your team up, let them know that no matter what, losing isn’t their fault.”

“You sound like you’ve done this before.”

“No, no. I started the challenge years ago but never… actually got to see the opening ceremony. My dad made sure I knew how to battle.” Robin gave Willow a grin, shrugging at her. “C’mon, let’s get you a Sizzlipede.”

The two girls hunted through the grass until Willow found one, Robin ran over, stopping her when she went to toss her Grookey. “Use Rolycoly, Grookey is weak to any fire type moves it might know; and Vulpix will only power up its’ fire type moves.”

“Right…” Willow changed out balls, tossing the ball as Rolycoly landed and spun around. “Uhm…” She looked to her own Rotom phone, seeing the moves. “Roly… use Tackle!” The Rolycoly let out a grumbling noise, but it seemed excited as it rammed into the Sizzlipede.

The Sizzlipede let out a cry as it fell back. It got back up quickly and wrapped itself hard around Rolycoly. “Roly! U-Use Rapid Spin!” Willow cried out; her hands pressed against her chest as Rolycoly jumped up some and then spun as quick as it could, flinging the Sizzlipede off.

Robin was grinning from ear to ear as Willow started to shout at Rolycoly to do another move. “Wait, look at Rotom! The Sizzlipede is low on health, throw a ball instead!”

Willow looked to her phone, her eyes wide as she dug a Poké Ball out and threw it at the Sizzlipede. The ball rattled once.

Twice.

Three times.

 **Click**!

Willow jumped up and down, running over to the Rolycoly, scooping him up in her arms. “We did! We did it!” The Rolycoly let out a happy cry as Willow danced around with him. She turned to Robin as she picked up the Poké Ball. “Thank you, Robin! Thank you!”

“No problem.” Robin put a hand on her hip, smiling. Only to stumble and gasp when a Pokémon hit her from behind. She whirled around, feeling it on her back but she couldn’t reach it. With the way that Willow was laughing, Robin was guessing it was one of her own little trouble makers. “Which one!?”

“Your Aquo!” Willow had fallen back on her ass, tears in her eyes from how hard she was laughing.

Aquo was letting out growls, nipping at Robin’s braids. “What?! You want to battle? Oh, give me a break!” She laughed, finally grabbing the blue lizard off her back. She rolled her eyes, holding him in her eyes. Then an idea struck her, and she gave Willow a wicked grin. “Willow, want to do something with me?”

Willow slowly climbed out of the Corviknight taxi, frowning at Robin as they entered the Wilds. “Are you sure your tent will be alright?”

“It’s late, I didn’t leave any food and I didn’t see any other trainers on the route when we were flying over it. C’mon! Over there looks active!” Robin grabbed Willow’s hand, skidding to a halt when the taxi man said something. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Would you like me to stay and wait? I can take you back to your tent if you aren’t going to be very long.”

“Oh! Yes, please! We’re just going over here!” Robin laughed when Willow whimpered. The two girls looked down into the hole in the ground where a bright light shot from, Robin looked to Willow, a grin on her lips. “Ready?”

“Not really… no.” Willow gave a weak smile as Robin tired a rope to a hook on the outside of the den; movement just to her right had her looking up as two people walked up. “Are you two raid hunting?”

“We are! Do you need more company?”

Robin secured the knot and smiled at them, nodding. “Sure!” As she grabbed the rope to start going, her Rotom phone jumped out of her bag. “Hiya, Rotom.”

“We haven’t done a raid yet! Would you like me to explain?” When Robin sat on the edge and nodded, Rotom chirped and buzzed around so the others could hear him as well. “When doing a raid, only one Pokémon can Dynamax at a time, the wild Pokémon down there are able to be caught by everyone if you all throw a ball at the same time! From what is programmed into our database, we are unsure as to how the dens make this possible, it was speculated years ago by a professor in training that the dens are stronger points than the gyms Rose found and thus the Dynamax power is separated and changes into multiple Pokémon.” The Rotom rotated, spinning around in the air before heading back to Robin’s bag. “Don’t forget that only certain Pokémon can Gigantamax!”

Robin looked to the others, shrugging. “So, who wants to Dynamax first?”

“You.” The three said in near unison, their eyes wide as they watched her head down.

The four stared up at the large Cleffa that turned to them in the den. Robin tossed out her Eevee, looking at the others as they tossed out their Pokémon. Willow tossed out her Grookey while the other two tossed out a Wishiwashi and a Wobbuffet. Robin looked at Eevee who turned and looked back at her, yipping excitedly as she pulled out the Poké Ball, her Dynamax band glittering.

Eevee disappeared into the ball, a red light exploding from the band and wrapping around the ball, making it grow. She turned, throwing the ball behind her. Her jaw dropped when Eevee popped back out, it had grown ten times the normal size and was staring down the Cleffa. She turned back to the Cleffa, eyes on her Rotom that floated in front of her. “Eevee! Use G-Max Cuddle!”

Eevee bounced over the group, slamming into Cleffa as if it were trying to cuddle, albeit a little roughly, before hopping back behind the ground again, making them bounce from the impact behind them. Cleffa growled, easily knocking the Wishiwashi out with one hit before turning on Eevee.

Before the Dynamax Cleffa could attack, Grookey hit it with Branch Poke, calling the attention of the Cleffa. The Wobbuffet slammed its’ arm against its’ head, an odd noise leaving it as it used Encore. Eevee looked down at Robin who threw an arm out towards Cleffa. “One more time! Cuddle!”

Eevee launched over to Cleffa, ramming into the pink Pokémon again, easily taking it out with a critical hit. When Eevee landed on the other side, Robin recalled it as a series of explosions went off and the Pokémon was down. “Now’s our chance!”

Robin wiped her brow as the four climbed out of the den, a sparkle in her eyes. “Thanks for the battle guys!”

“Our pleasure!” One of the other trainers laughed before running off with their friend.

Willow looked over, seeing that the Corviknight taxi was still waiting for them. “Shall we go get some rest? It’s pretty late now.”

“Yeah, let’s go. We can heal our team some on the ride back.” Robin led the way, glancing back at the den with a grand smile on her lips.

The next morning, Robin rolled over, seeing that Willow’s sleeping bag was gone with a note where she had been. She reached over, grabbing the note.

_Robin,_

_Thank you so much for helping me with my team! I’m headed into the mines and then onto Turffield! My team and I can’t wait to see you battle all the way to Champion!_

Robin smiled as she folded the note back up and put it in her pocket.

With the tent folded up and her team fueled up for the morning, Robin set off, pausing when she saw a little fox like head pop up out of the grass. A Vulpix stared up at her, watching her carefully. Robin squat down, holding out a little dish that was left over from the night before. She watched the Vulpix’s nose wiggle, it kept an eye on her but came over, slowly munching on the food.

The little Pokémon gave a jolt, eyes wide as it looked up to Robin. It gave a few chirps and danced around her, rubbing up against her. “You wanna be on my team too, little one? I’ve got more where that came from!”

With a Vulpix added to her team, Robin started off again, humming to herself. “Hiya!” Robin jumped; eyes wide on the girl at the entrance of the mines. “Me and my little sister have set ourselves as a pop-up Pokémon Center service. Not that we asked anyone if we could. Galar Mine can be pretty tough on a team, I’ll heal up your Pokémon for you, friend!”

“Oh, wow! Thank you!” Robin watched the girl heal her team before slowly heading into the mines. The area was pretty well lit from lanterns, and there were glittering gems all around. Robin started to go passed a cluster when she noticed a Fire Stone sticking out of the wall. She looked around, seeing if anyone was looking before she grabbed it, wiggling it out of the tight spot it was in.

She caught a Woobat and a Timburr before going in deeper, battling a man named Keith with a Roggenrola and a woman named Georgia who sent out a group of Timburr; which were all taken out with ease from Aquo. Robin patted Aquo on the head, laughing a little. “Remind me to not use you when I want to catch lower leveled Pokémon for a while. You’re too strong for them.” She kissed his head, smiling when he let out an excited purr.

She ran across the bridge, easily catching a Roggenrola of her own along with a Diglett and Drilburr before moving along. “Coming this way? I’d advise against it.”

The voice caught Robin off guard as she looked up, seeing the boy in the purple trench coat from the hotel. She gave a roll of her eyes before starting to go passed him. He grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Hey-“

“Any trainer with a Wishing Star is in for a beating from me and my Pokémon!” The boy growled at her as he tossed a Poké Ball up into the air. “Besides, you’re endorsed by the Champion, aren’t you? You are aware that the Chairman is more important than the Champion, right? I was chosen by the Chairman himself, so that makes me more amazing than _you_.”

Robin’s eyes narrowed as she pulled out the Poké Ball holding Aquo. “You’re… the one chosen by Rose?” The grin on Robin’s face turned dark as Aquo landed and let out a loud growl at the boy. “Then that means you’re standing in my way.”

The boy sent out Solosis, a stupid smirk on his face. “Solosis use-“ His eyes widened for a moment when Aquo used Water Pulse with Robin saying anything, taking the small Pokémon out in one hit. “Whatever. I was testing you.”

Robin twitched her hand, recalling Aquo to her side as the boy pulled out another ball. Gothita landed, winking at Aquo. The blue Pokémon glanced up at Robin, seeing her finger subtly move in a circle. Do it again. Aquo ran forward, puffing up and hitting the Gothita with Water Pulse. The Gothita let out a cry as it tumbled back, it slowly got up, holding its’ head after being confused. It glared at Aquo and used Psybeam.

Aquo took the hit, ignoring the surprised noise from Robin. “Careful, Aquo! You’ve taken hits already from other Pokémon!” Robin pulled out a small healing bottle, but the Drizzile kept his eyes trained on Gothita and let out another Water Pulse, knocking it out quickly.

“Oh dear, what have I been doing? Oh well, let’s just get this over.” The boy looked at his watch, huffing as he tossed out a Hatenna. Another Water Pulse had the Hatenna stumbling as it hit Aquo with Confusion. Aquo slowly stood on its’ hind legs, looking down at the little pink and blue Pokémon before puffing up at letting out a Water Gun, knocking out the last Pokémon. The boy tensed; his hands fisted at his side. “I see… well, that’s fine. I wasn’t really trying all that hard anyway.”

Robin picked Aquo up, starting to walk away from the boy. “I’m Bede. You’d be smart to remember that.” Bede huffed, glaring at the back of Robin’s head. “I suppose you’re more able than I expected. Naturally, I’ll remember your battle style and strategies now.” He shouldered passed her, leaving her alone. “I’m sure to easily defeat you if and when we face each other in an official match.”

Robin was seething as she squeezed Aquo until the Pokémon gave out a growl. “Sorry buddy.” She sat down, rubbing his smooth skin. “You did great. I’m glad the hand signals worked. I’m afraid of how loud the stadiums will be, if you guys will be able to hear me if I say what move to use.”

Aquo nuzzled up to Robin, giving a small croak as his trainer held onto him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll also be keeping track of Robin's team so we all know who she has! I would keep track of what Pokémon she's caught but... that's a lot of Pokémon in the end xD 
> 
> Robin’s Team so far:
> 
> Aquo – Drizzile
> 
> Knightwing – Rookidee
> 
> Growlithe
> 
> Deino
> 
> Vulpix
> 
> Sizzlipede


	6. Turffield! The Grass Gym!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin is onto the Grass Gym; next up, Water Badge!  
> Leon does his best to keep Robin's secret, but how much does Nessa know?

Robin saw the younger sister to the girl at the beginning of the mines, she let the girl heal her Pokémon before taking off into the fields below. She had switched Aquo out for Knightwing, using him to help her catch more Pokémon. After a few battles and catching a Meowth, Electrike and a Pumpkaboo, Knightwing was rubbing his face against his wings, similar to how Aquo had before evolving.

Robin looked at her Rotom, seeing the prompt for evolution. She grinned as she walked over to Knightwing, giving him a nod. “Go ahead.” She watched as the same glow started in Knightwing’s eyes before spreading to cover all of him. After a moment, he was much bigger, and he landed as a large black and blue bird.

Rotom popped up, beeping at Robin. “Corvisquire! Smart enough to use tools in battle, these Pokémon have been seen picking up rocks and flinging them or using ropes to wrap up enemies!” Robin rubbed Knightwing’s head before calling him back into his ball and moving on to the next patch of field.

“Wooloo! Where do you think you’re going?!”

Robin looked over when she heard the shout, eyes wide as a Wooloo barreled right for her. She stood her ground, taking the hit from the Wooloo. Tears welled in her eyes, this Wooloo was stronger than the ones back home. “Are you okay little one?”

“My… are _you_ okay? You took that Tackle head on…”

Robin looked up from the Wooloo, seeing the gentle Milo walking towards her and the Wooloo. “Me? I’m fine! I’m used to Wooloo tackling me from back home.” She laughed, digging her fingers into the soft fluff that covered the Wooloo.

“That’s good, then. You must be one of those Gym Challengers, right?” When Robin nodded, Milo laughed, hands on his hips. “I thought so. You were the one running around with the Sobble, getting everyone wet! Man, Oleana was _mad_ after that!” He leaned down, patting the Wooloo. “I’ve been itching to see how good you Champion-endorsed Gym Challengers are. I got a call saying Hop was waiting on me to get back to the gym.”

Robin laughed a little, shaking her head. “He’s so eager to make it to the Champion Ring. I can’t wait to battle you later.”

“Will you be coming up today?” Milo gave her a raised brow, smiling gently. “I’ll write your name down during the prime-time. If that’s alright with you.”

“The prime-time?”

“Oleana wants us to have a good battle in the prime-time hour, in the evening, so more people will watch. As if everyone doesn’t stop what they’re doing to watch their favorites battle already. But I’ve heard that the bigger news channels are keeping an eye out for four trainers, you and Hop, the one endorsed by the Chairman and Piers’ little sis.” Milo gave her a wink as he shooed the Wooloo towards town. “Back to the stadium with you! We can’t keep the Gym Challengers waiting!”

Robin watched as Milo and the Wooloo set off, leaving Robin alone again. She shook her head and went back to hunting. She noted a few trainers running along the path, laughing as they ran into Turffield.

Satisfied after catching a Cutiefly, Joltik, Milcery and another Eevee, Robin headed into Turffield finally. She paused though, seeing a very nervous Willow waiting just outside the gym with a few other trainers as they waited for their turn. She looked through the few groups, not seeing Hop anywhere. She turned and ducked into the Pokécenter, handing her Pokémon over to Nurse Joy.

After getting them back she slipped out, nearly tumbling over an overly excited Yamper. “Oh, I know you.” Robin leaned down, scratching behind Yamper’s ear. “Where’s Sonia?” She followed the excited pup up the hill, able to see the weird shape that was carved into the side with Sonia standing in the middle of the tourist area.

“Thanks, Yamper!” Sonia laughed and pet the electric dog. She looked over, seeing Robin and waving to her. “I had you come here because I wanted to hear what you thought. So, that geoglyph… what do you think of it?”

“Dynamax.”

Sonia looked at Robin, frowning. “Seems likely… it certainly looks like a gigantic Pokémon. I suppose people three thousand years ago could’ve just imagined this, but it looks too similar to Dynamax. It can’t just be coincidence.” She sighed and looked back to the geoglyph. “One day, a dark storm covered our region, but what was that black storm called ‘The Darkest Day’? What connection does it have to Dynamax?” She twirled her red hair around her finger, huffing softly. “Guess I’m the lucky lady who’ll be looking into that… Gran sure does give me a lot to do.” She held a small card out to Robin, smiling again. “Thanks for your thoughts on it. Here; it’s Milo’s league card!”

Robin took the card, looking it over before putting it into the little card holder she was using for any cards she collected on her journey. “Thanks.”

“Good luck today, Robin! Yamper and I will be cheering for you!”

Robin waved at them over her shoulder as she shoved her hands in her pockets and made her way to the stadium. She noticed that Willow and the group she had been standing with had already disappeared inside, but Hop was standing with his arms crossed, beaming proudly. “Look at this Robi! I got the Grass Badge in one try! I reckon I’m just about the greatest when it comes to wrangling Wooloo!” He pressed a thumb to his chest, laughing. “But you and I have had plenty of practice with that! I’m sure you’ll get yours in no time! Good luck!”

Robin blinked a few times, almost a little surprised that she hadn’t even gotten a word out to Hop before he took off. “Alrighty… then.” She shook her head, stepping inside. She looked at the man with a Poké Ball for a head, wandering over to him. “Hi.”

“Why hello! Thank you for stopping to talk to me, friend! As a thanks, here’s this!” He handed her a Friend Ball and patted her on the back. “Good luck!”

“Right…” Robin gave him an odd look before stepping away from him. And then the world shrunk around her. She could hear everyone whispering; ‘That trainer is Hop’s rival.’ ‘That trainer was endorsed by Leon!’ ‘Will she be any good?’ ‘She took her time getting here.’

A tongue against her cheek had her coming to her senses. Aquo was clinging to her back, giving her a look. “Sorry, buddy. I’m alright. C’mon. Let’s put those fire-types to work, hm?” Aquo let out a bubbly growl before disappearing back into his ball.

“Are you here to participate in the Gym Mission?” A girl in front of the door to the depths of the gym asked, smiling at Robin.

“I am. Where do I change?”

“Right over there!” The girl pointed to Robin’s right, watching her go into the room and then come back out in her Challenger uniform. “It looks good on you. Good Luck in there.”

Robin gave a nod and stepped through the doors, seeing a field below, Wooloo awaiting her. Dan stopped her and explained how she would need to get the unruly Wooloo to the blockade of haybales. When he was finished, Robin stretched. She made sure she stretched her legs and back before herding the small Pokémon around, the next area had a Yamper running around. Those Pokémon might be small, but they loved to chase the Wooloo. She saw the trainer at the end, waiting for her with a smirk.

Robin waited until the Yamper was on the other side of the area before approaching the Wooloo and herding them into the next area, stopping next to the trainer. “Ready?”

“I’m supposed to be asking you that.” The trainer laughed and tossed up the Poké Ball in his hand. He sent out his Gossifleur as Robin sent out Growlithe.

“Growlithe! Use Flame Wheel!” Robin shouted, watched as fire wrapped around the Growlithe before it slammed into the little flower-like Pokémon.

The Gossifleur let out a cry before glaring at Growlithe and using Sweet Scent. Growlithe snorted and shook his whole body, only to sneeze again. “Use Ember and finish it off!” Growlithe pulled back, a small ball of fire forming in its’ mouth before launching at the Gossifleur, watching as it fainted.

“As expected! A Gym Challenger and their Pokémon are in perfect sync with each other!” Samuel watched as Robin took off again, avoiding the next Yamper and trainers with ease. The next area was just as easy. With a grin, Robin ran through the Wooloo before they could go their separate ways and up the stairs, taking them two and a time.

When she reached the top, two steam canons went off next to her and the door behind her opened, leading the way onto the pitch. Robin swallowed hard and slowly walked out, seeing the crowd cheering and a small camera dropped down, it was being controlled by a Rotom as it followed her out onto the pitch. Across from her, Milo was walking out, the happiest look on is face as they turned to face each other. “My Gym’s the first one people face, so we get a lot of challengers. That’s why I try to keep the Gym Mission challenging but… that didn’t seem to stop you at all!” Milo laughed and turned to step away. “Proper job! This is going to be a doozy of a battle! I’ll definitely have to Dynamax if I want to win.”

Robin could feel sweat bead up on her forehead and the back of her neck as nerves slowly started to settle in. _Have fun. Just… have fun_. She reminded herself, bringing herself back to center. She gave Milo a smile before turning to go to her spot. “Dynamaxing won’t help you win, but whatever helps you sleep at night!”

The two turned after three long steps away from each other, throwing a Poké Ball out. “Growlithe!” “Gossifleur!”

“We’re a lower level than him, Growlithe! But don’t worry, you got this!” Robin cheered for the dog Pokémon, determined to get him just as excited as her as she flicked two fingers. “Now use Flame Wheel!” She gave a nod, Growlithe could hear her just fine despite the noise from the crowd and music.

“Gossifleur, use Sing!” Milo shouted, watching as Growlithe bounded across the field, flames covering its’ body before it slammed into his Gossifleur.

Gossifleur recovered and let out a soft singing voice that turned high pitched, causing Growlithe to let out a sharp whine and rub his ears against the ground. “Once you recover, Growlithe! Use Flame Wheel again!” Growlithe shook himself, growling at Gossifleur before charging.

One last hit and the Pokémon was down. Growlithe bounded back to Robin, jumping around her feet, barking happily. “Good job, buddy! You did great! I’m going to send Vulpix out this time, alright?” Growlithe sat, tongue lolling out to the side as his tail wagged before he disappeared into his ball.

Robin sent out Vulpix when Milo sent out his Eldegoss, her heart in her throat as she slowly extended her arm to her side, the Dynamax band glowing red. “Ready, Vulpix! Time to get big!” Vulpix jumped, turning midair before running at Robin. The red glow wrapped around Vulpix, pulling her into her ball that was in Robin’s hand. And then the ball grew until Robin had to hold it in both hands.

She could see Milo doing the same thing with his Eldegoss. When they turned, throwing the large balls back behind them the music that was playing a fun beat changed drastically into a loud chanting. Robin had to adjust her stance when Vulpix landed to keep herself from falling.

The Max Flare that Vulpix used barely did damage to Eldegoss as it turned and use Max Overgrowth. “That’s okay, Vulpix! Let’s use Max Flare one more time!” Robin could feel the heat of the fire as it flew over her head, ramming into the Eldegoss again. This time it did more damage. She cheered, but her cheering stopped short when Eldegoss used Max Force, easily taking Vulpix out.

Robin clicked her tongue in annoyance but pulled out a Poké Ball, her thumb running over the front of it, it would be wiser to use Growlithe or Sizzlipede, but her gut told her to send out Knightwing. She gave a shrug when Knightwing looked back at her, then to the overly large Pokémon towering over him. “Knightwing! Use Peck!”

The move didn’t do a lot with Eldegoss in this state, but this was the last turn it could be Dynamaxed. It used Max Overgrowth again, but it didn’t do a lot of damage to Knightwing. “Peck! And then use Pluck!”

Knightwing let out a crow and took to the sky as Eldegoss shrank back down. Knightwing dove, pecking at the little grass type Pokémon, he easily dodged the next move and used Pluck, finishing off Milo’s team.

“Wow! That was a great battle, thank you, Robin!” Milo laughed as he met her in the middle again, shaking her hand and giving her the Grass Badge at the same time. “I was hoping I had you there after Vulpix, but I never thought you would have pulled out your Corvisquire!”

“Thank you, Milo! I enjoyed that match!”

Leon was leaning back, sipping at the drink in his hand as Raihan and Piers watched the match on the television. He smirked when Robin threw out Corvisquire, making Raihan sit up and let out a wild noise. “Whaaat?! She has two other fire types on her team! What is she doing?!”

Piers, a tall pale man with black and white hair, gave Raihan a look. “Look at the levels. Her Corvisquire is more likely to take hits from Milo’s Eldegoss than her other two.” He rolled his eyes before leaning back and going back to tuning his guitar.

“I can’t wait to battle her, myself.” Nessa purred as she walked back into the large room, plopping down between Raihan and Leon. “So, what made you endorse her? How did you even find a girl like her?” Nessa turned to Leon; her legs crossed as she raised a brow at him.

Leon’s hand slowly moved to the cheek that Robin had kissed a few nights prior. He nearly jumped out of his skin when Raihan erupted from the couch, roaring about how quick of a battle that was. Leon snapped out of his head and looked at the time, ten minutes. “Faster than Hop.”

“Has anyone gotten through Milo’s gym that fast!? What was her time for the mission?!” Raihan gawked at the television.

“Five minutes. So, a total of fifteen minutes. Most people spend ten or more minutes in the mission and fifteen or more battling Milo.” Piers’ voice was soft as Raihan continued to roar about how it had gone.

Nessa looked to the TV, seeing Robin look directly into the camera when she and Milo parted ways, but she quickly looked down and booked it out of view. Nessa gave a curious look and then turned it on Leon. She lunged at him, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket with ease and dancing across the room, using Raihan as a shield as Leon dove after her.

“Nes, what are you doing?” Raihan calmed down, distracted by what Nessa was doing now.

Piers leaned over, seeing the picture that Nessa pulled out while Raihan held Leon back. “Is that that girl?”

“It sure is.” Nessa purred, turning the picture so Raihan could see a young Leon who was about to head out on his journey with a small Hop hanging from his arms and a bubbly Robin clinging to the Champion’s back. “And not only that. That girl is the one that dropped out before she could even begin. What happened again, Lee?”

Raihan and Piers turned the attention to Leon who was almost fuming from how annoyed he was with Nessa. Raihan looked to Nessa again. “Hey, how did you know that was in there?”

“Leon took Melony, Allister and me out to lunch the other day. He tossed me his wallet to pay for it when I saw the picture.” Nessa purred as she thumbed through the wallet again, pausing at another picture. It was of a night more recently; Robin was leaning against Leon with a Sobble in her arms as she slept. They were sitting up against a tree with Leon’s family in the middle of a barbeque off behind them. She slid that picture back before Raihan or Piers noticed and snatched the other picture back from Raihan as he went to pull his phone out.

“Oh, c’mon! I was gonna put it on PokéGram and tag Leon and Robin in it!” Raihan looked at Leon who was grumbling and glaring at the Dragon type master. “What?!”

Robin pulled her hood over her head as she walked out of the gym, flinching when a girl came up next to her. “Yes?”

“I know people are doubting you… but I want to cheer you on! I want to be your fan!” The girl grabbed Robin’s hand, eyes sparkling.

Robin slowly took her hand away before giving the girl her league card. “You sound like you’re asking permission; you don’t have to cheer me on if you don’t want to.” Robin shrugged and slipped outside, sighing when it was quiet in the cool air. She looked around, debating on making the trip back to the wilds to get more Pokémon or to carry on towards Nessa.

A stop by the Pokécenter, and Robin was off. She hadn’t made it far out of Turffield when a lady ran up to her, a cameraman hard on her heels. “You’re Robin, yes?! I challenge you to a battle! There’s no better way to do an interview on a Gym Challenger than to battle them!”

Robin sighed, frowning when they both threw out balls, a Helioptile and a Klank coming out. She hadn’t even been able to move her team around to where she wanted them, but she threw out Vulpix and Sizzlipede, having them attack Klank and then turn on Helioptile. “Wow! So hard to describe in just a few words! What incredible potential!”

Robin gave a bored smile before leaving them, not giving them the chance to question her. She trotted down a hill, catching a Wobbuffet, Dottler, Swirlix, Espurr and a Minccino. She pet Aquo’s head before the two made their way to a little clearing, setting up camp for the night.

Robin sipped on the cocoa she made the next morning, enjoying the sight of seeing the sun rise over the Wilds below her camp. She heard a mechanical noise behind her as she leaned against the tree, eyes narrowing. She turned, it sounded like a lens adjusting. She ran her hand over the bark when a new noise caught her attention. A breeder was running down the hill after a small purple dinosaur looking Pokémon with a white spot on its’ head. “Toxel-! Come back! C’mon!”

Robin jumped up, catching the little guy. “He’s a runner, isn’t he?” She laughed, feeling her fingers tingle when she touched his skin. “I haven’t seen anything like him before.”

“Yeah… he’s a Toxel. I just hatched him, but he’s a serious handful.” The breeder stared at Robin for a moment, raising her brow, not taking the little thing just yet. “Would you like him on your team?”

Robin gave a nervous laugh and shrugged. “I mean… I’ve already gotten so many Pokémon as gifts… why not another?”

“Oh good! I’m glad we ran into you then!”

Robin watched as the breeder patted the little guy on the head before leaving them be. She looked down at the Toxel, tilting her head when he looked up at her. “Guess I’ll call you Toxy, how is that?”

Robin took Toxy back to her camp, slowly packing up the tent and other things when she heard people yelling up on the bridge, she packed up the rest as quick as she could before taking off for the bridge up above her.

She stopped when she saw a slouched man holding onto a Rotom bike and two members of Team Yell bickering at him. “Just hand the back over! We need it for the ride across this long bridge! We gotta chase away the other Gym Challengers!”

Robin put a hand on her hip, frowning at the two guys harassing the other gentleman. “Oi! I thought Marnie told you punks to go back home.”

The two Yell members flinched, gawking at Robin. “Wh-What?! Don’t you think you’re being a little-“

“Fine, have it your way.” Robin threw out Aquo who hissed at the two members. “You can’t go around stealing things from people.”

“We weren’t tryin’ to steal it! We only wanted to _borrow_ it!” The bigger of the two stepped forward, throwing out a Zigzagoon.

Aquo looked back at Robin, seeing her twitched two fingers, he turned to the Zigzagoon, using Water Pulse to quickly take out the smaller Pokémon. The grunt sent out Thievul next, and the large fox Pokémon gave a harder fight than Zigzagoon did. Aquo got hit with Quick Attack twice, having to use Water Pulse three times just to take it out.

Before Robin and Aquo could recover, the other grunt sent out a Sableye. Aquo used Water Pulse on it, but the little purple Pokémon used Disable once it recovered, leaving Aquo to use Water Gun instead. Though, Aquo took it out just fine that way.

The two grunts looked at each other, gulping hard before taking off away from Robin and the other guy. He turned to her, slowly pushing the bike towards her. “I’m in your debt.”

“O-Oh! A bike is too much, really!”

“I insist, besides, you have a Rotom.” The man pushed the bike into Robin’s hands before leaving her on the bridge.

Robin climbed onto the bike, frowning at it. “What the hell am I supposed to do with a bike now? I can’t shove _this_ in my bag.” She hadn’t made it all the way over when Hop waved her down.

“There you are, Robin! I’m warning you though, if you come any closer, we’re going to battle!”

Robin gave a small chuckle and kicked the stand out on the bike, hoping off and tossing Aquo’s ball up and down. “I don’t know if you’re ready for this, Hop.”


	7. The Lighthouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin finally makes it to Nessa and the Water Gym! She learns that she's a bigger deal than she wanted to be among the Gym Leaders, will this effect how her Gym Battles go?

Aquo jumped onto the edge of the bridge, eyes narrowed on Wooloo who had gone in for a tackle. The small gecko like Pokémon puffed up before letting loose Water Pulse, watching as Wooloo took the hit head on and fainted. “Good job, Aquo! Get ready for the next one!”

Hop smirked at Robin, tossing a ball out onto the bridge. “Corvisquire! Let’s do this! Use Leer!”

Aquo let out a growl but used Water Pulse again, bringing the large bird Pokémon down to half health. He jumped down from the railing when Hop’s Corvisquire went to use Peck, easily dodging it. He glanced to Robin who flicked two fingers. The smaller Pokémon used Water Pulse once more, taking the Corvisquire down this time. “I told you I wasn’t going to go easy on you, Hop!”

“Every one of my Pokémon is an ace! We’ll be fine!” Hop threw his arm out, his Raboot running towards Aquo. “Use Double Kick, Raboot!”

Aquo went wide eyed when Raboot ran faster than he could keep track, easily getting hit and taken down to minimal health. The small Pokémon growled and panted, not used to getting hit that hard. He heard Robin shout for Water Gun, but he used Water Pulse, instead, taking the Fire Rabbit out with the one hit.

“We both got ourselves the same Grass Badge, so how come you’re so much stronger!?” Hop rubbed his head, moaning at his defeat. He only laughed though, not having noticed the way Aquo ignored his trainer. “You’ve gotten stronger, Robi, Aquo.” He walked over to the Drizzile and patting him on the head. “Seems I’ve got to train even harder from now on! Here, I have a few spare.” He handed Robin a Revive that she put into her bag with the rest that she had collected. “Next up is Nessa! I hope you’re ready!”

Robin watched as Hop turned and ran off before turning a glare on Aquo. “I said Water Gun.” The Pokémon hissed at her before quickly turning his head away from her. “Hey! Don’t get grumpy with me! C’mon, let’s go back to the Poké Center and then we can continue on.” She grabbed him, hugging him to her chest. “What in the world has gotten into you?”

The two headed back to Turffield and into the Poké Center where Nurse Joy happily healed Robin’s team. “Have you heard the rumor?”

“What rumor?” Robin took her team back when Nurse Joy handed them back, putting them back in their rightful place on the belt at her waist.

“I’ve heard there’s a train that’ll take you somewhere with super strong Pokémon at Wedgehurst Station.” The nurse giggled as she leaned into Robin. “Between you and me, I bet it’ll be a fun trip!”

Robin nodded slowly before leaving the center, holding onto Aquo’s ball. “Should we go see for ourselves?” When the ball twitched in her hand, she smiled and put it back on her belt. She pulled out her phone and called for a Flying Taxi.

Robin walked into the station, looking around for a moment when someone spoke over the intercom. “The train to the Isle of Armor has arrived, ladies and gentlemen. Those with an Armor Pass, please board the train.” She frowned, not having heard of the Isle of Armor before. She blinked a few times when she saw a girl with curly pink hair handing a pass to the attendant. “Uhm- oh!”

Robin looked down when a Slowpoke waddled off the train, he was different from what Robin remembered seeing in her fathers’ old dex. He had yellow on his head and the tip of his tail. “Oh, wow.”

“Oh, a Slowpoke! How cute is he!?” The girl with the pink hair giggled and clapped her hands while bouncing on her toes.

“Oh dear, looks like another one’s gotten on the train and ridden over from the Isle of Armor.” The attendant shook his head at the slow Pokémon.

Robin walked over to the Pokémon, patting it on the head. “Hey there, little guy.”

“You’re a Pokémon trainer, I saw you battle Milo yesterday.” The attendant smiled at Robin and then waved his hand to the ticket gate. “If Slowpoke blocks the ticket gate, it’ll cause trouble for other customers, they’re pretty heavy and hard to move, in all honesty. Would you catch it for me?”

Robin gave the Slowpoke a tilt of her head, smiling down at him. “You wanna join me, buddy?” The Slowpoke purred at Robin, wiggling his head against her hand as she pulled out a Poké Ball, easily catching him.

“Wow! Amazing! You caught it without fighting him? I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone do that before!” The girl walked up to Robin, an ominous vibe coming from her as Robin smiled awkwardly and took half a step back. “I’m heading to a place called the Isle of Armor, I’m going to catch some rare Pokémon and do some training. Are you going?”

“Oh, uhm… I’ve never actually heard of the Isle of-“

“Wow, what a shame.” The girl let out a small laugh, shrugging. “And from the sound of it, you’re in the Gym Challenge, right? Well, good luck to you.” She blew a playful kiss at Robin before stepping past the ticket gate. “Let’s hang if we meet up again, ‘K? Buh-bye! See ya!”

Robin’s brows knitted in confusion at the girl as she climbed onto the train. “What… an odd person.” She looked down at the ball that held Slowpoke, smiling some. “Well, guess I’ll finish the Gym Challenge and then find out what this Isle of Armor is!”

Robin got herself back to Turffield and worked on strengthening her team for Nessa’s gym, she resituated her team, switching out Growlithe, Vulpix and Sizzlipede for Pikachu, Yamper and Joltik. After catching a Drifloon, a Farfetch’d and a Pancham, Robin headed off. She paused once she got inside the town of Hulbury, she hadn’t been expecting it to be right there.

“Our sincerest apologies. The chairman is quite busy at the moment…”

Robin knew that voice, she ran into town, stumbling to a stop when she saw Oleana talking to a small crowd of people in front of the chairman. She saw the boy in the pink trench coat, Bede standing off to the side.

“No need to rush off! I can still do more autographs!” Rose laughed as he started to trot after his fans. “I’ll even give you my Pokémon League Card!” He turned to Oleana, crossing his arms and a stern look on his face. “We need the support of our fans to keep doing what we’re doing. Chasing them off like that… aren’t you being a bit too harsh, Oleana?”

“Fans are very important, of course. That’s why you need to keep doing your work-“ Robin let out a scoff and rolled her eyes as Oleana tried to reason with the chairman, stepping to the side so she could sneak around the small group.

“I promise to do everything in my power to assist you, too, Chairman!” Bede finally piped up, trying to look confident in front of the Chairman.

“Oh, uhm… and you were…?” Robin covered her mouth, trying her best to not laugh out loud. That was so cruel, and the Chairman was so in his head that he didn’t realize it. “Oh, wait. Right, Bede! I daresay I’m impressed how far you’ve come since I gave you that Pokémon all those years ago. Will you be the one to win the Gym Challenge? Or perhaps it will be one of the Trainers endorsed by the Champion?” He turned his attention to Robin who froze when he pointed to her. “Like her.”

“I’ll prove my worth to you, Mister Chairman. I won’t lose to anyone. Anyway, I should be on my way now.” Bede glared at Robin before turning on his heel and walking away.

“Robin, come over here!” Rose laughed, waving the girl over.

Robin felt her heart slamming in her chest, eyes wide as she took half a step towards the chairman. “I… uhm… I was actually… going to go… battle Nessa-“

“I admit, I’m curious about Leon’s reasons for endorsing you. His brother, I completely understand, but some random girl?” He snapped his fingers, eyes wide behind his sunglasses. “Ah! I just had a good idea, as I tend to do! Once you get your next badge from her, I’ll hold a celebration. I’d like to get to know you a little better, after all!”

“Chairman… we should really get going.” Oleana whispered from behind him, watching as he waved to Robin before walking away. “The chairman will be heading to this town’s seafood restaurant. Win the Gym Badge and join him there at once. Do _not_ keep him waiting.”

Robin stared, clearly dumbfounded at the order from Oleana. The last thing she wanted was to have dinner with the Chairman, especially alone. She slowly walked towards the gym; eyes still wide from disbelief. She froze when she saw a girl standing in front of the gym. “Uhm…”

“You must be a Gym Challenger! If you’re looking for the Gym Leader, she’s off at the lighthouse.”

“Right…” Robin turned and headed towards the lighthouse, seeing it standing tall just ahead. It didn’t take her long to get there, seeing Nessa staring out at the ocean.

“You must be a Gym Challenger, right?” Nessa turned, a flash of surprise crossing her face. “Oh! You’re Robin. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“How did you know that?” Robin trotted after Nessa as she walked back towards the gym.

“You’ve become something of a… _hot topic_ among the Gym Leaders, recently.” Nessa purred, giving Robin a playful look. “Here you go, Ms. Famous, I already heard about you, so you should learn about me, too.” Nessa handed over her League Card and trotted off, leaving Robin by herself at the base of the stairs.

Robin stared at the card; her cheeks dusted pink. Nessa was a gorgeous girl, and she was already aware of Robin? How was that even possible? “C’mon! I love fishing, but I love Pokémon battles even more and I’m itching for a battle with you!” Robin gave a jolt and looked up the stairs at Nessa who was smirking down at the shocked trainer, hand on her dark hip. “What? Is someone starstruck?”

“Wh… what? No! I mean- yes! But no!”

Robin stood at the edge of the challenge, trying to figure out the best way to get through with the least amount of battles. It was a dirty trick, but nothing in the rules required you to battle the other trainers in these challenges. With a nod Robin ran to her right, easily knocking out the girl there with her Tympole.

Next was a girl with her Krabby and Corphish. The last girl was easier to sneak around, looking every which way without pause. Robin pressed the buttons she needed and ran up the final set of stairs that would lead her to Nessa.

“Welcome, honored Gym Challenger!” Nessa laughed once Robin joined her in the center, smiling from ear to ear. “I see you fooled one of my girls.”

“She looked nervous.” Robin grinned as the two girls stepped back, throwing their Pokémon out. Nessa threw out Goldeen while Robin threw out Pikachu. “Pikachu! Use Electro Ball!”

“Goldeen! Dodge that and then use Agility!”

A ball of electricity formed above Pikachu and the small mouse Pokémon slammed the ball with his tail, sending the ball at Goldeen. Goldeen did her best to dodge but got hit head on anyways. After a quick recovery, Goldeen used Agility, making Pikachu strain to see through the mirage of Goldeens. “Use Spark!” “Use Horn Drill!” Pikachu used the move at the same time Goldeen used Horn Drill, both took the hits hard, but Goldeen fainted from the attack.

Pikachu stumbled a bit but shook himself, giving Robin what looked like a smirk. Robin laughed and threw her arms up. “Alright, little buddy! Onto the next! Use Spark again!”

Nessa scoffed but threw out Arrokuda. “Use Aqua Jet!” The angry looking fish puffed up, firing off a jet of water, but Pikachu easily dodged it and hit the other Pokémon with Spark, knocking it out in one turn. “Looks like I’m down to one last Pokémon. I saved the best for last! Ready, Robi?”

“I am, but I don’t know if you are!” Robin smirked and pulled Pikachu back into his ball, holding the giant ball in both hands before throwing it behind her at the same time Nessa threw hers, releasing Dreadnaw behind her. “Pikachu! Use G-Max Volt Crash!”

Nessa gasped, watching the bolt of lightning hit her Dreadnaw, paralyzing him. “Dread!” She hissed but smirked when she looked back to Robin. “Nice move. That’s alright, Dreadnaw! Use-“ She looked back at her Dreadnaw, seeing he was still too paralyzed to move. “Tsk! That’s alright, bud!” She watched as Robin and her Pikachu hit the Dreadnaw with one more G-Max Volt Crash, knocking out her Dynamaxed Pokémon.

Pikachu returned to normal size and ran up to Robin, rubbing his cheek on hers, giving her excited little jolts of electricity. “Good job, Pikachu!” Robin hugged the yellow mouse Pokémon, not minding the little jolts she received as she trotted to the center to meet up with Nessa.

“I may proudly be the strongest member of the Gym, but I was totally washed away!” Nessa held her head as she stomped around for a moment. “How…? I knew you were strong… but your Pikachu was lower level than my Pokémon!” She sighed and shook her head, unable to help the smile on her face. “Now that I’ve battled you, I think I understand. Continue to seize these victories in the Gym Challenge with you Pokémon. You have an incredible spirit that may even be strong enough to challenge the Champion.”

The two girls shook hands, grinning at each other. “Thank you, Nessa.”

“I’ll have to tell Leon to watch his back for you. You’ll want to challenger Leader Kabu next, with how you and your team are now, he’ll definitely want to go against you.”

When Robin finally stepped out of the gym, Oleana was waiting for her, hands on her hips. “Do not keep the Chairman waiting. Head to the seafood restaurant, the Captain’s Table. So, you will not forget the chairman’s face, I will give you one of his League Cards.” The woman handed Robin a card, turning before Robin could protest or respond.

Robin wanted so badly to just run to the next area, but she didn’t want to find out how cruel Oleana could be if she didn’t listen. With a deep breath, Robin pushed the doors open to the restaurant, her heart skipping a beat out of joy when she saw Sonia standing with the chairman and Oleana. “Oh, Sonia! You’re here?”

“Robin! Let’s celebrate your victory! That was a great battle!” Rose clapped for her then turned and waved his arms to the table they were waiting next to. “Do you two know each other? That’s great! Come now, please sit!”

Robin glanced to Oleana who was still standing behind Rose, watching the three at the table. “Hulbury is known for the seafood here, but that’s to be expected with it being right next to the ocean.” Rose laughed as he looked out the window, smiling. He looked to Sonia, giving her a warm smile. “How is Professor Magnolia getting on?”

“Gran? Oh, she’s-“

“I’m quite indebted to her, you know. She was the one who figured out how to unleash the power of the Wishing Stars and use that power to Dynamax Pokémon. We would never have been able to create Dynamax Bands without her.”

“Yeah, she was saying there’s still so much we don’t know about Dynamaxing. It’s causing her some worry. She even made me take a Power Spot Detector with me when I started traveling again…”

“A Power Spot Detector? That’s the device that allowed me to discover the Power Spots for the Gyms. I don’t like hearing that Professor Magnolia is so worried, though. If only there were something I could do… Sonia, it may be good for you to visit the vault in Hammerlock. I believe the key to unlocking the secrets of the Dynamax phenomenon lies in the history preserved there.”

“Understood, Chairman. I will arrange a meeting with Ms. Sonia.” Oleana whispered as she pulled out a small PDA and quickly typed something in before putting it back in her pocket. “However, I believe it is about time we get going, Chairman.”

“Hm? But I’ve hardly had a chance to speak with Robin! It’s regrettable, but I suppose it can’t be helped. If something needs to get done, there’s no time like the present, after all.” Rose slowly stood up, dipping his head to the two girls. “In any case, I bid you both farewell!”

Robin and Sonia stood there awkwardly after the Chairman and Oleana left. Sonia sighed and twirled her hair around her finger. “Does he think he’s doing me a favor? He’s right, that vault would be a good place to look for information on the legends, but…” She shook her head before turning a smile on Robin. “Congratulations on defeating Nessa! She’s amazing isn’t she? Defeating her is no small feat.”

“Thanks, Sonia. Hopefully the vault helps you out with your journey.” Robin started to go when she saw Sonia turn to look back at the Water Gym through the big window.

“Perhaps I should drop in on her, say hello.” The way Sonia said it made Robin take pause.

“Are you two good friends?”

“Huh? Yeah, you could say that. We go way back, at least, to when I did my Gym Challenge.” Sonia grinned at Robin, scratching her pinkened cheek. “Anyways, until next time!” She patted Robin on the head before leaving, Robin followed after, gasping when Hop was waiting for her outside. “Hop!”

“All right, mate! You’ve got both the Grass Badge and the Water Badge by now, right? In that case, we’re both headed for Motostoke and the Fire Gym Leader, Kabu!” He grinned and put his hands behind his head. “Did you know he goes into the second mine to undergo some form of special training!? I bet we can find him there!”

Robin slowly reached out; surprised Hop didn’t challenge her to a gym battle before taking off. “Wow… alright.” She shrugged, knowing Hop was excited to move on to the next phase, but that usually meant a battle with her, she’d probably get hit with one outside of Motostoke. She made her way in to the mine, catching a Shellos and a Shuckle pretty easily. She was quietly following a Noibat when she heard someone clear their throat, scaring off her Noibat.

“You again…”

Robin looked over, seeing Bede standing not too far away. She gave him a grin and put her hand on her hip. “Awe, Bede, I missed you too!”

“I’d feel sorry for my Pokémon if I made them take part in a battle against low-level opponents. I’m not in the mood to deal with weaklings right now. Then again, I suppose it’s a form of mercy to crush weak opponents early on. If you’re under the misguided impression that you’re stronger than me, then surely you would be up for a battle.”

Robin couldn’t help the petty laugh that left her mouth. “Me? Oh… I don’t know Bede, I’d feel bad if I kicked your ass, _again_.”

“It’s unconceivable that _I,_ the trainer hand picked by the Chairman, would lose to someone like _you_.” He sent out Solosis, a shit eating grin planted on his face.

Robin rolled her eyes as she tossed Aquo’s ball in the air, the small Pokémon landing on her shoulder. “I don’t know, should I let you call the shots this time?” She grinned when a wicked little grin came to Aquo’s little face as he jumped off Robin’s shoulder, hitting Solosis hard with Water Gun. The weird little Pokémon used Psyshock, but the move didn’t phase Aquo much as he hit with Water Pulse, fainting the other Pokémon.

“Tsk. You’ve grown some since our last battle. How foolish, letting your Pokémon decide what moves to make? Whatever, this won’t last long.” He tossed out Gothita, growling when his Pokémon barely landed and Aquo was hitting with Sucker Punch, he used a Super Potion, only to stare in shock as Aquo hit with Water Pulse, taking his Pokémon out with one more hit. “How?”

Robin watched as Aquo waited, seeing Hatenna appeared on their little field. He glanced back at Robin who gave a half nod. He turned back to Hatenna, using Water Pulse to quickly take her out. “What was that about it being unconceivable that you lose? Because you were cherry picked by who?”

“Shut up.” The boy was grinning, clearly excited from how the battle was going. “Not everyone can corner me like this!” He threw out Ponyta, seeing the small unicorn prance around a little. One hit from Water Pulse, and the small unicorn was down, leaving Bede without any Pokémon. “Ah. Pardon me, it seems I must take back my words. You’re not weak, you just lack talent. Your chances of completing the Gym Challenge are pretty slim, I must say. Here, I’ll give you this. Something to show that you at least tried.”

Robin frowned as she took his League Card. She waited until he was gone before putting it with the rest of her cards and moving on. “Good job, Aquo.” She looked to her shoulder when the little Pokémon hopped on.


	8. Send Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin and Hop make their way through the last Galar Mine, finding Kabu and then challenging him. He gives Robin a run for her money before giving the two trainers a send off back into the Wilds!

Robin slowly walked through the mine, battling the trainers and collecting what Pokémon she could before running into two boys from Team Yell, Marnie’s cheering squad. “Seriously? What are you guys doing in here?”

“Sorry to bother, ya, mate… you’re one of them takin’ part in the Gym Challenge, right?” One seemed super nervous; hands crossed behind his back as he nervously scuffed his boot in the dirt.

The other one perked right up though. “Yeah you are! I watched you battle Milo the other day! I’d love to battle against a great trainer like you!”

“Hey, Robi! Surrounded by adoring fans, now? You’ll even be showing up Lee pretty soon!” Hop laughed as he ran up behind Robin, winking at her.

Robin only laughed and rolled her eyes. “Yep. Sure will.”

The first guy frowned at Hop. “Oi! Jog on, mate! Can’t you see we’re in the middle of a conversation here?!”

Robin put her hand over her face, sighing softly when Hop let out a belly deep laugh. “Oh, boy. Here we go.”

“Yeah? And can’t you see that I’m Hop, the trainer who’ll be your next Champion?”

“Ha! You’re so funny I forgot to laugh!”

“You think I’m joking? I’ll prove it, then! And I think a battle with you lot would definitely end with some laughs! C’mon, Robi! Let’s get these goons!” Hop was already pulling a Poké Ball out, ready for a battle.

Robin started to protest but decided against it, knowing Hop would only give her those famous puppy-dog eyes he and his brother could muster up on a moments notice. “Fine, fine. Let me switch my team around.” She switched Yamper, Pikachu and Joltik out for Magikarp, Deino and Wooper before she tossed the ball holding Aquo up, feeling him land on her shoulder. “Ready buddy?”

Hop threw out his Wooloo while the two members of Team Yell threw out Linoone and Thievul. A few hits of Water Pulse from Aquo and Double Kick from Wooloo and those two Pokémon were down, only to be replaced by Liepard and Pancham. Aquo used Water Pulse on the Liepard when it hit the ground, not giving the feline Pokémon a chance to take in its’ surroundings before fainting.

Robin and Aquo flinched when Pancham hit Wooloo with Low Sweep, taking out the little Pokémon with ease. “Youch…” She gave a nervous smile to Hop who sent out his Corvisquire, eyes narrowed on the little panda Pokémon. “Use Water Pulse and end it, Aquo!”

Aquo nodded and hopped on Corvisquire’s back, using Water Pulse before landing on the large Pokémon. The group watched as the Pancham went down, leaving only Hop and Robin’s Pokémon. Before they could celebrate though, Robin’s phone went off and she looked at the Rotom when it popped out. “What’s up?”

“Your Magikarp would like to evolve! Magikarp would like to evolve!” The screen changed, allowing Hop and Robin to watch as Magikarp evolved from the silly orange fish to a large blue water serpent, Gyarados. “Wooper would like to evolve! Wooper would like to evolve!” They watched the screen again, seeing the little Wooper evolve into Quagsire.

  
“Oh, that’s cool!” Hop laughed, ignoring the two grunts as they spoke. He looked to Robin, still not noticing that the grunts had left. “Let’s go find Kabu, I’m sure he’s down here somewhere!” He ran off before Robin could say anything, leaving her alone in the mines again.

“That kid… I swear.” Robin sighed, laughing softly as she headed off in the same direction he ran off to. She caught a Dreadnaw, a Wimpod, Binacle and finally a Noibat before finding Hop and Kabu. She stood next to Hop, watching as Kabu easily finished off two Team Yell grunts on his own. She looked to Hop who had the same awed expression she did. “Guess we have our work cut out with him!”

Kabu turned, seeing Robin and Hop standing behind him. “Ah. You two are the ones endorsed by Leon! Hop and Robin, am I right?” He grinned when Hop seemed to brighten up even more. “I was just training right up until the last moment, so that I can guarantee the perfect match when I face the two of you!” He put a hand to his chest, eyes closed as he spoke. “I specialize in Fire-Type Pokémon, and the Water-Type Pokémon in this mine are the perfect opponents to train against!” He grabbed the towel around his neck, getting ready to turn around. “Anyways, it’s getting late, just go straight once you get out of this mine, and you’ll reach Motostoke again. Get good rest at the hotel, and make sure you’re both in your top condition!”

Robin smiled, Kabu was very much like a dad. “I remember Lee talking about Kabu.” Hop started, a finger to his chin. “He said that a lot of Gym Challengers give up because they just can’t beat Kabu. Man! Now I’m getting all fired up! I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep!” The two took off out of the mine, heading back towards Motostoke.

“I’m going to stay up and train some of my Pokémon a little longer, I’ll catch up with you at the hotel!” Robin shouted to Hop as she ran into the tall grass with the moon looming overhead already.

When Robin finally made it to the hotel, Marnie was standing in the lobby looking up at the statue. She turned, seeing Robin walk in. “Uhhh… Challenger Robin, right? Out givin’ it your all, even this late, huh?” She put her hands behind her back, looking off to the side with a pout on her lips. “Hey, help me with somethin’ for a sec. I want t’see if I’m ready for the next leg of the Gym Challenge.”

Robin smiled at the girl, shrugging. “Alright, I can do that.” She tossed out Knightwing, grinning. “Use Peck! And then turn around and use it again!” Knightwing flew up, driving back down and using Peck on the Croagunk that Marnie tossed out. The Croagunk took the hit and came back with Sucker Punch, though the second Peck took the Croagunk out.

“That’s alright.” Marnie frowned and sent out her Morpeko, brows knitted together when Robin sent out a Swirlix. “Swirlix?”

“I was training my other Pokémon.” Robin laughed and shrugged. “You just happened to catch my team at an odd time.” She patted Swirlix on the head, laughing more when the odd little cotton candy looking Pokémon purred. “Use nothing but Draining Kiss, alright?”

“Morpeko, use Thunder Shock!” Marnie frowned when the Swirlix just endured the hits it took and then drained her Morpeko with Draining Kiss. “But your Swirlix is such a lower level than my Pokémon…” When the Morpeko fainted, she recalled it and sent out Scraggy. The little guy didn’t even have time to react when Swirlix hit it with Draining Kiss, landing a critical hit and taking it out in one go. “You beat me… guess you must not be too bad after all, huh?”

The next morning came too quick for Robin’s liking, but that’s what she got for staying up late. When she made her way downstairs, Marnie was waiting in the lobby again, nervously glancing at Robin. “Mornin’ Robin. That friend of yours already went off to challenge the next gym.”

“I had a feeling; he doesn’t usually wait around.” Robin laughed as she looked down at Morpeko who seemed in good cheer this morning.

“Here.” Marnie handed Robin one of Kabu’s League Cards. “I ended up with a few copies. Don’t look so chuffed, it’s no big deal.” She gave a nervous smile before heading off.

Robin started to follow when she finally noticed someone in casual wear with deep, fluffy purple hair and tanned skin sitting nearby. She turned, giving Leon a curious look. “Lee?”

“I was afraid you wouldn’t recognize me.” The champion belted out a laugh as he patted the seat on the couch next to him.

Robin went over and sat next to him, watching him as he relaxed into the couch. “Don’t you have some important Champion business to be tending to?”

“Not this morning.” He glanced to her before quickly looking away. “My brother already ran off; he’s going to be taking part in the Gym Challenge in a little bit. I was wondering… if you would uh… go to breakfast with me? And then go watch him take on Kabu?”

Robin couldn’t help the little smile that spread on her lips as she leaned forward, taking the black and gold hat off the coffee table and putting it on. “Your treat?”

Leon got up when she did, a wide grin on his face. “Of course!” The two laughed as they linked arms and headed to a little breakfast place in the lower part of town. Leon ordered chocolate milk and waffles while Robin ordered plain milk and pancakes. Leon rest his chin his palm, watching Robin as she happily munched on her breakfast. “You did really good in your battles against Milo and Nessa.”

“Fanks.” Robin covered her mouth when she spoke, having just taken a mouthful of pancakes. She paused though, staring back at Leon when she realized he was just watching her. “You gonna eat?” She pointed to his untouched waffles.

“Huh? Oh- yeah.” Leon let out a nervous laugh and started on his waffles.

The two finished and made their way to the gym, pausing when they saw Hop standing outside, waiting for Robin. “Robi! Lee! Guys! I did it!” He held up the Fire Badge, a goofy grin on his face. “It was touch and go, but I totally did!”

“Awe, man! Look at you go, Hop!” Lee gave his brother a high-five, laughing. “We were just about to come watch you take Kabu on, you were fast than I anticipated!”

“You can watch next time, big bro!” Hop laughed, clapping Robin on the shoulder. “Someone is slow moving though, c’mon! Get into gear and go beat Kabu!”

“Right…” Robin shook her head, leading the two boys into the gym, she stopped when she saw Willow standing off to the side, her nerves getting the better of her. “Willow!”

The girl looked over, giving Robin a weak smile. “Robin! It’s good to see you again!”

“And you too! You made it to Kabu?”

“Yeah, I’m just… so nervous! What if I don’t make it?!”

“You gotta trust your team, they’ll get you through anything.” Robin patted Willow’s shoulder before disappearing into the locker room to change. She reemerged, seeing that Willow was slowly warming up, shaking away her nerves.

The gym challenge was rather easy for Robin as she was able to catch the Vulpix, Sizzlipede and Litwick with ease, allowing her to move on to Kabu. She looked over, seeing the older man was standing next to her, a grin on his face. “Thank you, Kabu.”

“Don’t thank me just yet, my dear.” The man laughed as he led the way out onto the pitch. Once they were out there, facing each other, Kabu’s grin softened. “The fact that you’re hear means that you’ve bested Milo’s Grass types and Nessa’s Water types, I applaud you in that. Every trainer and Pokémon trains hard in pursuit of victory. But that means your opponent is also working hard to win. In the end, the match is decided by which side is able to unleash their true potential.”

The two nodded and walked away from each other, this time, the music didn’t start out fun like it had with Milo and Nessa, it was intense right off the bat which sent a shiver of excitement up Robin’s spine. She sent out Aquo, grinning when Kabu sent out Ninetails. “Aquo! You got this!”

Aquo ran to the side, narrowly dodging a Will-O-Wisp before letting out a Water Pulse that took Ninetails down to critical health. Ninetails countered with a Quick Attack, only to get taken out with one more Water Pulse. Arcanine was out next, but a quick hit of Water Gun had the larger Pokémon down into Critical Health as well. The Arcanine hit Aquo with Bite that took him down to half health before Water Gun took him out all the way.

“Aquo! You did great! Let Knightwing finish this out!” She laughed when Aquo glared at her, clearly wanting to finish this out. But she pulled him back anyways before Dynamaxing Knightwing. Kabu sent out Centiskorch, Dynamaxing it. Two hits of Max Airstream brought the Centiskortch to less than half health, but two hits from G-Max Centiferno and Knightwing was down. Robin let out a hiss, knowing it’d be game over if she sent out Aquo right now. She sent out her Quagsire, smiling at him. “Hang on for me!”

Kabu raised a brow, seeing Robin heal a Pokémon. He used Max Flutterby, taking Quagsire down to critical health. His Centiskorch was down to normal size again, a smile on his face when Robin told the Pokémon in front of her to use Water Gun, his Centiskorch was too fast and used Flame Wheel first, knocking the large blue Pokémon out with ease.

“Alright, Aquo! You can finish him off!” Robin threw Aquo out who barely landed and was throwing Water Pulse at Centiskorch, catching the Fire-Bug type off and knocking it out. “Alright!” She laughed, catching Aquo when he jumped into her arms.

Kabu stared in shock, only to fall to his hands and knees. “Great Pokémon and great trainer! It’s no surprise that you won!” He got up, meeting her in the middle with his hand out. “I’m often regarded as the first real roadblock of the Gym Challenge, and yet you defeated me! Clearly, your talent surpassed my many years of experience. I still have much to learn!” He laughed, clasping her hand between both of his. “I know now that you and your Pokémon will become a fantastic team! Thank you for battling me today!”

“Thank you, Kabu!” Robin laughed, eagerness bubbling through her. If she had been honest with herself, she was a nervous wreck walking onto the pitch, she had seen Kabu battle in the mines and had seen many trainers fall to his team. But here she was, one step closer to taking on Leon.

“Robi!” Robin had barely walked out of the changing room when Hop all but tackled her. “That was totally awesome! You should have seen big bro! He was a nervous wreck watching you battle! But I know that if anyone could do it, you and Aquo would be the ones! But that match had me right on the edge of my seat!”

“Challenger Robin, Challenger Hop. I see you both have done well to collect badges from the Grass, Water and Fire Gyms. Kabu has asked me to bring you this.” The man that was usually explaining the Gym Challenges walked up, handing them TM38 Will-O-Wisp. “I think you’ve both proven yourselves enough to try your hand against the Gyms that await you, starting in the city of Hammerlocke. You’ll head back through the Wilds and that will take you to Hammerlocke.

Hop was jumping around, cheering at their victories. “With all the badges we’ve earned ourselves, I reckon we should be all right even against the fierce Pokémon I’ve heard rumored to be in the Wilds!” The two ran out of the and headed towards the Wilds when someone cleared their throat behind them. They turned, seeing Kabu running up behind them. “You’re the Gym Leader, but you still came all the way to see us off?”

“Of course, we did.” Nessa laughed as she ran up with Milo. “Not a lot of people can make it past Kabu, so we make a point to see those that do off.”

“It’s pretty amazing you two defeated Kabu!” Milo smiled, patting them both on the shoulders. “Congratulations!”

“Please allow me to send you off with a proper sporty chant!” Kabu straightened up, clearing his throat once more. “Hustle, hustle, hustle, Hop! You can do it, you can do it, Robin!” He grinned, nodding to both of them. “The Gym Leaders you will face ahead are all tough opponents. But I believe you will prevail if you and your Pokémon keep pushing on.”

Robin ran up, hugging all three of the Gym Leaders. “Thank you, guys. Really.”

The Wilds loomed ahead of them now, Hop was shouting something about coming back stronger than ever. Robin laughed and looked around, wondering where she should head to first. “I think I’ll stick out here for a few days before heading on.”

“I had the same plan! I’ll see you at Hammerlocke!” Hop couldn’t stop his laughter as he went to run off, only to stop when Bede approached.

“Don’t waste your time. It’s not either of you would ever make it through the Gym Challenge, anyway.” Bede ran his fingers through his hair, grumbling at the two of them. “The Champion must have been really off his rocker to endorse the likes of you.” He scoffed, giving Hop a side eye. “I mean, it seems Hop here can’t even throw a Poké Ball properly.”

“Bede, I’ve kicked your ass twice, I’ll do it a third time if you don’t shut up.” Robin got in the boys’ face, snarling as she forced him away from Hop.

“Robi, don’t worry. I can handle him. He just doesn’t know what greatness looks like when he’s looking at it. My throws are the greatest, and my bro is the finest Champion the world has ever seen! And I’m not about to sit here and listen to you insult him!” He looked to Robin who had backed off Bede. “Go on, I’ll catch up to you later, I promise!”

Robin glared at Bede as the two boys went elsewhere to have their battle, leaving her alone at the base of the stairs. “Ass.” She wanted to stay behind and help Hop, but she knew she had to trust that Hop would be fine on his own, besides, he had his team to take care of him.


	9. Stormy Nights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin goes off into the Wilds once again, but a storm kicks up and knocks her down. Will Leon and the others find her in time?

Robin tucked the loose hair behind her ears, though it didn’t help much as the wind blew hard and messed her hair up again. The wind carried that all too familiar scent of rain with it, making Robin smile; she would sleep good tonight. She looked down at the small Eevee that ran alongside her, it paused when she did, sensing the storm as well.

The young trainer had left Hop to face Bede alone two days ago but hadn’t run into him since; now that she thought about it, she hadn’t seen any of the other trainers either. “Should we find somewhere dry to make camp for the remainder of the day?”

The two walked around for a while longer, heading off the beaten path until they came to a large lake with cliffs on the other side. Robin pulled out a pair of binoculars, seeing what appeared to be a small cave on the opposite side. “Alright, Eevee, let’s see if Gyarados will do us a favor, hm?” She laughed when Eevee yipped at her before being recalled into its’ ball.

Robin wadded out into the water until it hit the top of her calves before she threw a Dive Ball out, watching as Gyarados landed in the water in front of her. “I think I see a cave on the far side of the lake, will you take me over there?”

Gyarados let out a roar and lowered his large head, waiting until Robin climbed up and got comfortable before he turned and moved easily through the choppy water. Robin watched with an awed expression as Wingull flew over head and Mantyke swam around her Gyarados, chirping at the two as they made their way to the other side.

Once they were safely there, Robin climbed onto the rocky shore and recalled the large water-type Pokémon. She turned and threw out Aquo, who happily landed on her shoulder. “C’mon, buddy. Let’s go see what’s hiding in here, yeah?”

The two gathered a handful of Pokémon, adding them to Robin’s Pokédex until they reached a dead end. Robin looked at the small lizard before shrugging. “Guess this is it, we could head back towards the mouth of the cave until the storm passes, what do you think?”

Aquo jumped off her shoulder and ran ahead a few paces before looking back at her and letting out a gruff noise. “Alright, alright!” Robin laughed and ran after him, letting him lead the way back to the entrance where they would set up their makeshift camp.

Robin looked up when she heard a crack of thunder, she had decided against setting her tent up since the cave itself would be more than enough shelter from the rain. She stirred the curry, letting it come to a slow simmer before dishing it out over some rice. She had her oddball team out to enjoy the delicious food, it made her laugh, seeing how the team was all over the place. She had Aquo and Knightwing out along with her Deino and Eevee, she also tossed out a Noibat and Applin that she had caught earlier after parting with Hop.

Her team curled up around Robin after they ate, listening to the rain as they slowly started to fall into a soft slumber. Robin curled up around her pack, petting Applin’s head who was curled up against her chest. “I hope you guys are ready for a hard day of training tomorrow.”

Morning came faster than Robin had liked, but something was wrong. She could hear it in the way that one of her Pokémon was growling and tugging on her braided pigtail. She sat up, grumbling at the little monster, seeing it was Deino. “Seriously? Are you hungry again?”

Then the panic set in. Her team was collectively trying to wake her while Aquo seemed to be fighting against something. Robin looked around, her violet eyes scanning the area quickly to take in what was happening. That’s when she saw it, Aquo wasn’t fighting something, he was trying to pull her pack away from the mouth of the cave as water lapped at the cold rocks. “Aquo! Leave it! I’ll get it.”

She jumped up and quickly recalled the Pokémon around her before recalling Aquo, ignoring his angry chirps. She threw her pack on and looked back towards the back of the cave, it would be stupid to run that way, if the water levels got too high, it would just flood the cave. The trainer fastened her bag better on her before wading into the calf deep water, she could try to pull Gyarados out again, try to get him to take her to the safety that was the other side… but she didn’t want to risk him getting hurt if lightning struck down on them while they were in the water.

With a few frantic looks around, she saw a risky way up the cliffside. It was a broken path that didn’t appear to be traveled much anymore. She hadn’t thought the Wilds were this big, nor dangerous, but sometimes with these challenges, it wasn’t just the Gym Leaders that took out trainers. There was one year that a boy was pulled due to sun poisoning, she hadn’t ever heard of that before that year. The boy hadn’t wore sunscreen to prevent sunburns which had eventually bitten him in the rump and landed him in the hospital. Another girl had decided to risk pushing forward when her team was taken out, only to be attacked by an Araquanid, luckily for her she had only suffered minor injuries and was saved by a Wilds Ranger in the nick of time. That was the year that the committee had decided that Repels had to be used in the case of your team getting taken out in the Wilds, that or be disqualified from the challenge.

The trek up the broken path in the rain took a lot longer than Robin had wanted, but she hadn’t exactly wanted to fall down and break something or get caught in that angry lake. She took her time and eventually reached the top, the wind was rougher up here, but that was something she could deal with as she yanked a jacket from her pack and pulled it on over her wet shirt.

Robin trotted along, not wanting to burn her energy in a full-on run but not wanting to go slow and risk meeting a stronger Pokémon on the wrong foot. She weaved through the trees, thankful for the small break from the rain. She should just stop and set up camp in the trees, but she didn’t know what was up here with her. She had noticed a few Skwovet and Rookidee hiding in the trees along with some bug-type Pokémon.

So, she kept pushing forward, wanting to find a path down to where she had started at the base of these cliffs. A loud crack of thunder made her all but jump from her skin and she picked up her pace, her teeth chattering as she ran from the cold. A loud hissing noise had the girl looking over her shoulder, she didn’t see anything, but that didn’t stop the feeling of being watched. Robin pulled her phone out, seeing it was only nine at night, and that she had no service. How was it that a phone that was also a Pokémon, didn’t have service? Perhaps she was just too far out.

Another crack of thunder had Robin flinching to her left, shivering as the rain soaked through her jacket and to her bones. The hissing had followed her, but it almost seemed like she was running into the heart of the storm. A bright flash of lightning struck nearby and was immediately followed by the loudest crack of thunder Robin had ever heard, so loud that it caused a ringing in her ears. She beat her palms against her ears, unable to hear the trees groaning. She turned around in time to see a tree falling towards her.

She jumped to the right and back pedaled, a surprised noise leaving her when her sneaker hit something, and she fell backwards. But she didn’t hit the ground, not right away. She rolled, smacking against tree roots and rocks on her way down. Something in her right arm felt like it snapped like a rubber band, and she let out a scream that she couldn’t hear over the ringing in her ears. She kept rolling and falling until she hit something, she felt her body roll limply for a moment and then…

Nothingness.

Hop scratched behind his ear, looking down at his Rotom phone as he waited outside of Hammerlocke for Robin. He wanted to talk to her, and he hadn’t seen her inside the large town, even Raihan had said he hadn’t seen the female trainer yet. “Hey, kid. You still waitin’ on her?” Hop whirled around, seeing the tall Dragon-type trainer bouncing slowly down the stairs that led up into his town of Hammerlocke.

“Yeah… it’s been like… three days since I got here.” Hop frowned and showed Raihan his phone. “I’ve called her a million times, but it just keeps going to her voicemail.”

Raihan pulled his own phone out, quickly typing something out before looking at Hop’s phone. “Give me her number, I’ll see if my phone can ping her last location. Rotom phones can only do so much, especially if you get too far away from town, that’s why there are suggested areas for the Challenge. Everyone is welcome to go beyond those areas, though it isn’t suggested.” The large Gym Leader sat on the stairs as he worked on his phone after Hop gave him Robin’s number.

Hop let out a surprised shout when his phone went off, relief flooded him until he saw the name. It was Leon. “Lee! Lee! Have you heard from Robin?”

“No, I haven’t. I was calling you because I got a message from Raihan. You got there three days ago?”

“Yeah! I’ve been camping outside the city until Robin got here, that was a deal we made, we would wait either at the Gym or outside the city until the other got there. But Raihan told me he hadn’t battled her nor seen her in Hammerlocke-“ Hop’s words were stumbling over each other as he frantically spoke to his brother, until he saw Bede slowly walking up. His golden eyes narrowed on the other boy. “Hey! Have you seen Robi?!”

Bede glared at Hop but ignored him otherwise and carried on, leaving Hop and Raihan to stare after him. At least, until Raihan got up and blocked his path. “Hey, he asked a fucking question. Have you seen Robin?”

“No, I haven’t seen her anywhere. Not that I would care to talk to someone who was weaker than myself.” Bede hissed and pushed past Raihan, quickly making his way into the city.

Raihan growled and held his hand out to Hop. “Let me talk to your brother.” Hop frowned but handed the phone over. “Hey, Leon. I can leave Hammerlocke for a few days, I haven’t had many trainers besides Hop and this Bede shit come through, but they still have to-“

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll get it approved through Oleana for us to go out searching. I can ask Bea and Piers to join in, I don’t know if Bea would-“

“She would, she’s been in this situation before. But… why don’t _I_ ask her to help us, she might not answer the phone for you, man.” Raihan paced around a few steps, pausing when he and Hop noticed Marnie coming up to the city.

Hop ran over while Raihan and Leon talked out a plan, grabbing Marnie by the shoulders. “Marnie! Marnie! I need your help! Please, please, please tell me you’ve seen Robin!”

Marnie gasped when Hop grabbed her, her bright blue eyes wide as the boy shook her. “U-Uhm… well, yeah. But, she uhm-“ She gave a jolt when Raihan was suddenly looming over them. “Is something wrong with Robin?”

_Marnie trudged along, her Morpeko waddling right alongside her. She wiped her forehead off as she broke through the trees, seeing Robin training her Eevee against a Linoone. She paused, watching the other trainer for a few moments. It was interesting, watching Robin battle, her Pokémon trusted her one hundred percent and did as they were asked, knowing she had their backs._

_Once the Linoone was down, Robin caught it and moved on, heading East and deeper into the Wilds. Marnie frowned, knowing that wasn’t a well-traveled area, but she only shrugged, she wasn’t about to stop someone from training up their Pokémon. And this was Robin, if anyone would be safe, it was that girl._

“Yeah, it was about a days travel back when I saw her, just before the storm hit.” Marnie looked down at Hop’s phone, able to hear Leon over the speaker as he started mumbling and grumbling as he loudly paced. “Are you sure y’all aren’t over reacting? Robin is strong, and her team is even stronger…”

“We wouldn’t be worried if it wasn’t for the fact that her Rotom phone was out of range.” Raihan frowned at Marnie who gawked up at him. “Yeah, you have to be _way_ out in the Wilds for that thing to not work. The Rangers still carry walkies when they go out that far, knowing that’s the best way to keep in touch with each other.”

“Oleana messaged me back, so did Piers, we’re good to start our search.” Leon’s voice broke through the speaker on the phone. “Hop, Marnie, you guys continue on to Stow-on-side, go battle Allister. I’ll make sure you two are kept in the loop since you know she might be in trouble. I’ll make sure to give her a proper scolding once we find her.”

“Piers is joining you guys?” Marnie brought her hand to her mouth; Piers was her older brother. He wasn’t exactly lazy, but he didn’t really help the league with much unless it was serious. If he was joining this search, then he thought it was serious, normally he’d leave it to the rangers. “Tell him to be safe, please!”

Raihan smiled down at Marnie before musing her and Hop’s heads. “Don’t worry, we’ll make sure Piers and Robin are safe and sound by tonight.”

Leon scanned the area beneath him and Charizard as they flew around where Marnie had last seen Robin. Bea, a girl who had once been in charge of Stow-on-side before Allister took the gym from her, had decided to help. Her and Piers were on foot, well, Pokémon. Bea had opted to run around with her Machoke and Machamp with a few rangers while Piers had (reluctantly) hopped on the back of a Mudsdale with a few other rangers, the two were going around in grids that they would mark with brightly colored flags to show that the area had been cleared with no sign of Robin.

Leon looked up, seeing Raihan flying on one of his Pokémon just to the East of him. He almost felt like they were blowing this out of proportion, Marnie was right; Robin was a strong trainer and her Pokémon only proved that with each battle. She probably just got turned around and wandered too far into the Wilds. The only problem with that, was that she wasn’t like Leon. She was like Sonia, those two girls were basically walking compasses, they almost never got lost.

He relaxed back on Charizard as the fire-type beast started to circle back. It was day two of the search, Hop had been blowing his phone up as he worried over Robin, but out here his phone was at peace, too far from any of the towns to pick up the signal that Rotom worked off of to send and receive messages. Leon carefully patted Charizard on the neck, a soft sigh leaving him. “Alright, bud. Let’s circle back, the sun is going down… we won’t be able to see anything from the sky in the dark.”

Charizard started to oblige when he swiveled in the air, focusing on the woods at the top of the cliffs above a large lake. The beast slowly glided through the air before suddenly dropping down, ignoring the yelling from the startled Champion on his back as he started into a dive. The two quickly dropped from the sky, landing on the ground before the woods. Raihan must have heard his shouting as he and his Pokémon were headed towards them.

Charizard lifted his chin and let out a loud series of bark like noises that made Leon gawk at him. “Char! What the hell was tha-“ He froze, seeing movement between the trees, finally able to hear the dull chirping. “I know that chirp… Aquo?! Aquo! It’s Leon, where are you buddy?!”

Aquo jumped from the trees, latching onto Leon for a moment before diving back into the trees. He led the way until he sat in front of a Grimmsnarl, a large Fairy-type Pokémon that was black and green. The larger Pokémon looked up, Robin in the monsters arms. She appeared to be sleeping, but her arm was at an odd angle. “Hey… there… uhm… Grimmsnarl.” Leon held his hands up, his heart hammering in his chest. “That’s my friend, can I have her? To take her to safety?”

Grimmsnarl looked down at Robin, then up at Leon. A loud growl worked its way from the Pokémon, until Aquo snarled at it that is. The Grimmsnarl let out a few rumbles, shaking himself when Aquo just continued to snarl and nip at Robin’s shirt. Finally, after what appeared to be a small argument, Grimmsnarl set Robin down before backing away, a few Impidimp suddenly appearing and watching as Leon did his best to look over Robin.

He wasn’t good at diagnosing breaks, but her arm didn’t flop right when Grimmsnarl set her down. He put his ear close to her face, feeling a shallow breath leave her, he pressed his forehead to hers, a trembling sigh leaving him. “You breathing is a good sign. Hang in there, Rob, Charizard and I will get you to safety, yeah?” He carefully scooped her up and made his way back to Charizard, with the help of Aquo leading the way. He glanced back, seeing Grimmsnarl and the handful of Impidimp’s were slowly following them.

Leon looked to Charizard and Raihan when he emerged from the trees. “Raihan, do me a favor, go to Postwick and get her mom. I’m taking her to Hammerlocke, that’s the closest place.” He handed Robin off to Raihan for a moment before climbing onto Charizard and taking the girl back. “How long ago was that storm?”

“Five days.” Raihan frowned at Leon before looking away. “I’ll meet you back in Hammerlocke with her mom.”

Robin’s eyes slowly fluttered open, feeling a coolness against her side. She looked down, seeing Aquo sleeping soundly next to her, and then her mother was resting with her head on the foot of the bed. That’s when Robin noticed she wasn’t at home; she was in a hospital room with flowers and balloons surrounding her. “Momma?”

Her mother nearly jumped from her chair; her eyes wide but swollen from old tears. “Baby girl, you’re awake!”

“Momma… what happened?” Robin listened as her mother explained what had happened, how Hop had grown worried after waiting for three days outside of Hammerlocke for her and how Leon and Raihan with a few other Gym Leaders had gone searching for her with the help of the Wilds Rangers. “I… I didn’t think I had gone that far out…”

“You’re alright, sweety. That’s all that matters.” There was a shadow in her mother’s eye though, apparently not everything was alright. “You broke your arm at some point. Chairman Rose stopped by to see you; he wants to pull you from the Challenge.”

“What? No! He can’t do that!” Robin sat up, pushing up with her arm.

The next time Robin opened her eyes, Leon was in the room along with Hop. She whimpered as she looked down, seeing her arm was strapped across her chest in a sling. “What happened that time?”

“Your arm is broken.” Her mother frowned from where she sat, knitting a little cap for Aquo. The only reason Robin knew it was a cap meant for Aquo was that her mother checked the size to the size of Aquo’s head. “You used it to push yourself up earlier, made yourself black out. The doctor wasn’t happy when I shouted for him.”

“I’m not dropping out of the Challenge.” Robin glared at the wall in front of her, trying to ignore the burning threat of tears as she slowly met Leon’s dull gaze. “You can’t! Not after you all but forced me into it!”

“Robi… please don’t make this any harder than it already is.” Leon came up to her other side, touching her cheek. “Rose wants to come in and talk to you about it before he makes the final decision, but you don’t honestly think you’ll be able to compete with a broken arm, do you?”

Hop stood quietly behind his brother, determination in his eyes as he finally stepped forward. “If Robin is forced to drop out… I’m dropping out too. We made a deal. I can’t be in the Challenge without her.”

Leon turned a frown on his brother, Hop had been all too excited for the Challenge, and he was going to give it up just like that? “Hop, you can continue, she can’t.”

“Like hell I can’t!” Robin pushed herself up with her good arm and looked down at herself, she was in pajamas. Good enough for her as she swung her feet off the bed. “See if I won’t continue the challenge! I only needed an endorsement to get into it!”

“You didn’t even want to be in it to begin with!” Leon stalked after her, slamming a hand on the door before she could open it.

Robin whirled on Leon, glaring up at him. “Let me out!”

“No. You’re just going to get yourself hurt more!”

“I can finish this! And when I do, I’m _going_ to kick your ass!”

“Watch your language, young lady!” Robin and Leon turned and stared at her mother, having forgotten about the other two in the room. “Chairman Rose will be here in the morning; you will talk to him in a calm manner and see if he will give you some time to recover before rejoining the Challenge. And in that time, you will wash your mouth out.”


	10. Applin Fever!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin is off again! Though her arm is the least of her worries now.

Robin’s hand was roughly running over the small Eevee’s head as she pointedly ignored Leon who was sitting on the window bench. They were waiting on Rose to show up to talk to the challenger. Leon finally let outa a groan, tossing his head back so it hit the wall with a thump. “Robi, if you would just listen to me, you would know I don’t want you removed. But there’s a chance that Rose might-“

“It’s a broken arm! I can still throw with my left, Lee!”

Leon gave her a sad look, seeing the way she was breathing heavier and her eyes shimmered as she tried to fight back tears. He got up, slowly moving to the hospital bed and putting his forehead to hers. “Robi, you know I’ll always be on your side. _Always_. But Rose is a bigger player in this game. We have to keep that in mind, okay?”

Leon gave a start when there was a knock on the door, he was stretched out on the hospital bed with Robin curled up against his side. Robin’s mom was sitting in the chair next to the bed, still knitting away at the hat she was making. “Come in.” She spoke, only glancing up to watch Rose walked in, a small female behind him. “Chairman Rose and… Bea?”

The girl looked at Robin as the challenger sat up, frowning some. “The Chairman said he was coming to talk to you, I asked to tag along.”

“Thank you for coming, Bea. And for joining the search for me.” Robin sat up straight, making sure to use her good arm as she got herself situated. “I’m not dropping out.”

“Straight to the point.” Rose laughed as he put one hand in his pocket while the other toyed with the fringe of hair that hung down in his face. “A girl after my own heart.” He gave Robin a soft grin before looking to Leon. “From what I know of broken arms, they take time to heal.”

“It can heal on the road, I’ve already talked to the doctor, he said I can check in at each town and see how it’s coming along. I just have to be careful when running around in the areas in between towns.”

“You sound as if you’re worried that I’d drop you from the challenge for a broken arm.”

“I’m just making sure you know you can’t drop me for a broken arm.”

Rose and Robin smiled at each other, it was a dangerous smile, one that said no matter what someone would walk away unhappy. “Good thing I’m not worried about your broken arm, then.” Rose put both hands on the rail at the end of the bed, his eyes cool and full of warning. “You went beyond the boundaries for the challenge, Robin, you endangered yourself and others. _If_ I drop you, it will be because you went beyond the marked areas.”

Robin’s smile turned into a smirk as she wiggled to the edge of the bed and slid off, having dressed herself in comfortable sweats and a baggy shirt before her nap. “That’s odd, Mr. Rose, considering there were no marked boundaries out where I was at. I didn’t see any signs saying don’t go beyond this point.” She met his gaze, smirking at him more. “Now, if that’s all, I’ll make my way to Stow-on-Side.”

Leon jumped up and followed Robin out of the room after the challenger grabbed her pack, unable to contain his goofy grin as Bea joined him. “Robi! You can’t just-“

“Robin.” Bea stopped in the hall, giving Robin a wide grin. “Allister won’t want to go against the Chairman’s orders. He won’t battle you.”

Robin turned and looked to Bea, grinning. “Then… what do you say, Bea? You’re a respected Gym Leader, think they’ll approve of you taking Stow-on-Side back?”

“We only have to get approval from one person.” Both girls looked to Leon who froze, eyes widening. “What do you say, Champion?” Bea gave Leon a tilt of her head before punching the taller male in the arm.

“Guys, I… I…” Leon let out a groan and pulled out his phone. “Once I… approve this… you’ll have to stay available to all challengers, Bea. Allister can’t-“

“Dual gym, we trade back and forth. Every other battle. Give our teams a chance to rest in between challengers. The Circhester gym does it all the time.” Bea offered, seeing a spark in Leon’s eyes. “I’ll head to Stow-on-Side.” She turned to Robin, giving the other girl a wink. “See you there, sugar.”

Robin stared at the two, watching as Bea trotted off and left her alone with Leon. “What just… actually happened?”

“Bea has agreed to battle you to keep you in the challenge.” Rose frowned as he walked up behind them, Robin’s mother right behind him. “Are you approving this, Leon?”

“I am, sir. Robin did nothing wrong, there weren’t any signs out where we were flying, she wouldn’t have known that area was off limits.” Leon put his hands on his hips, grinning down at Rose. Robin hadn’t really realized how tall Leon was, or how short Rose was, for that matter. “I’ll shoot the Rangers a message and ask them to put signs up out that way, and to make their patrols out that way if they can manage it.”

“Then, I guess you have some catching up to do, Robin. Many challengers have already made it through this area and are headed to Stow-on-Side.” Rose took Robin’s hand when she bounced over to him and shook it. He watched as she hugged her mother before running over to Leon. He raised a brow when the girl grabbed Leon by the front of his shirt and pulled him down to kiss him on the cheek.

Robin quickly pulled away, her cheeks turning red when her kiss landed on the corner of Leon’s mouth rather than his cheek or chin. She turned away and ran out of the hospital.

“She’s going to continue?” Raihan paused on shoveling food into his mouth, brows climbing his forehead as he looked between Nessa and Leon. He straightened up when a guy with black and white hair trudged into the small café. “Piers! You made it!”

Piers frowned at Nessa and Leon. “Does this guy ever talk with an empty mouth?”

Nessa let out a laugh and shook her head, her black and blue hair was styled into thick box braids, which wacked Raihan. “No, I don’t think he does.”

“H-Hey! Watch the braids, those hurt!” Raihan gave Nessa a teasing growl as she shook her head again.

“Yeah? Well, you sat twenty-six inches too close.”

Leon chuckled at his friends as Piers sat next to him. “How is Marnie doing?”

Piers pulled his phone out and showed it to Leon, beaming as he showed off his little sister. “Half way to Opal!”

“She’s going to breeze on through.” Leon grinned. “I had to tell Hop to go on ahead, Robin would catch up.”

“So, she’s going to continue?”

“Yeah, she should be leaving Hammerlocke here soon, Bea and Allister came to an agreement on the gym. Rose tried to tell Allister that he highly suggested to not encourage her by battling her. Allister was afraid to go against what Rose said but said he’d let Bea have the gym the day that Robin showed up in Stow-on-Side.” Leon shrugged then went still when he looked over and saw Robin, looking very angry, stomping towards someone outside the café. “Now what?”

The four leaders got up and slipped outside the café, watching as Robin nailed Bede with an awkward left-handed punch. “Oooh!” Piers and Raihan flinched back while Leon and Nessa surged forward, grabbing Robin and yanking her back. “Robi! What the hell!” Leon held the challenger while Nessa checked on the other one.

“This little shit-head won’t stop bullying Hop. If I hear about you going near Hop again, Bede, I’ll beat you to a pulp!” Robin snarled as she pulled herself away from Leon, ignoring the pain in her arm that flared to life when she used her injured arm to push away.

“I only told him what he needed to hear! You need to stop backing him, he can’t battle and you’re only going to lead to him hurting more in the end.” Bede took a step back from Robin, glaring at the girl.

Robin took a step towards Bede, a scowl on her face as she leaned towards him. “I can’t wait to knock you down in the finals, Bede. If you even make it that far.”

Bede started to bark back at Robin when the girl stormed away, leaving him alone with the three Gym Leaders and Champion. He glared at them before turning and going in the opposite direction as Robin. Leon let out a sigh and trotted after Robin, hoping to find her before she managed to leave Hammerlocke.

He grinned when he saw her standing just beyond the vault of Hammerlocke holding a Poké Ball and watching two people walking away from her. “Robi! Hey, you alright?”

Robin flinched when Leon came up behind her, she whirled on her toes, violet eyes wide and cheeks bright red as she thrust the Poké Ball at him. “Th-This is for you!” She dropped the ball in his hands when he held his hands up, running off before he could see what was inside.

“Robi!” Leon frowned when the girl took off as Nessa and Piers ran up next to him. “What the hell?”

“Were you going to mock battle her, Leon?” Nessa raised a brow at him, glancing at the ball in his hands.

“No, she just… gave me this Pokémon.”

“What is it?” Nessa leaned around, staring inquisitively at the ball, not noticing the two people gawking at the three of them. Piers on the other hand, did. “What?” He put his hands in his pockets and walked over to them.

“That girl gave me her Applin for me to give to her,” the boy gestured to the girl standing next to him. “But-“

“But I wanted him to give me an Applin he caught himself, I told him I would wait for that.” The girl giggled, a blush on her cheeks that mirrored the redness that covered the boys entire face and tips of his ears.

Piers slowly turned, seeing a small Applin in Leon’s hands now, a knowing look crossing Nessa’s face as they waited for Leon’s reaction. “Huh, an Applin? I’ve never had one myself, but I guess I can figure out how to work you into my team, right?” Leon laughed and patted the small Pokémon on the top of its’ head.

“You’re helpless!” Nessa groaned and walked away from the Champion who gave Piers a confused look.

Piers only laughed and patted Leon on the shoulder. “Our wise Champion, ladies and gentlemen.”

_Robin was huffing and puffing as she stomped towards the bridge that would take her out of Hammerlocke, almost ignoring the boy who was pacing nearby, mumbling about needing an Applin. She paused for a moment, giving him a curious look. “Why do you need an Applin?”_

_“Huh?! O-Oh… uhm… do you know the rumor?” He paused and looked at her, his cheeks red._

_“No? What rumor?”_

_“The one that says that if you give an Applin to your crush, you’ll be together forever. The girl I like is moving over-seas tomorrow… and I wanted to give her an Applin… but I can’t seem to find one.”_

_Robin watched him for a moment before shrugging, digging a ball out of her bag. “Here, you can have mine.”_

_“What?! Are you serious?!”_

_“Yeah, but you had better call her and tell her-“_

_“Trevor! What are you doing out here?” Robin and the boy looked over, seeing a girl trot up to them, grinning at him._

_“I-I uhm… what are you doing? Aren’t you supposed to be packing?” The boy gripped the ball in his hands tight, his nerves making his voice shaky._

_“I’m pretty much done; I was going to come find you, but your mom said you were out running errands.”_

_“Yeah, I… I wanted to uhm…” The two didn’t even notice Robin as the trainer slowly backed away from them. “to give you this Applin.”_

_“Did you catch it?!” The girl gasped, taking the ball from the boy._

_“No… she gave it to me to give to you.” He frowned when the girl handed him back the ball. “Eli?”_

_“I can’t take that Applin, Trevor. I want an Applin that_ you _caught.” She smiled when the boy walked over to Robin, handing her the Poké Ball back. “I know I’m leaving tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give me an Applin that you caught all on your own!”_

_Robin watched the two for a moment, her heart in her throat when she heard Leon behind her, calling out for her. “An Applin… to your crush…?”_

Robin slumped against a tree; her eyes wide as she tried to control her breathing again. “I’m… I’m an idiot. Why did I do that?” She rubbed her face, letting out a groan as she pushed off the tree and began her journey to Stow-on-Side.

It didn’t take her long for her and Aquo to add a handful of Pokémon to her roster. After a while though, she decided to take a break and set up camp, it wasn’t too late, but her stomach was growling and Aquo had been working hard with Deino and Eevee to do good in Stow-on-Side. Robin was stirring the curry when the ball Deino and Aquo had been playing with bounced by her. She turned, feeling her cheeks heat with a bright blush as she watched Leon walk up to her camp.

“You should keep an eye on your little monsters, that ball was out there a little bit.” Leon caught Aquo when the water-type Pokémon jumped into his arms. “You made it quite a ways, I’m honestly surprised you stopped.”

“I don’t want to push my teammates, they haven’t battled in a few days and I didn’t want to over do it, you know?” She felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest. She felt like an idiot, she had never been nervous around Leon, _ever_. If anything, he was the one that tripped up around her or did stupid things to show off in front of her. But as he sat down next to her, her stomach knotted up as butterfrees swarmed her belly.

“Eevee seems worried about your arm.” Leon pointed out, though his eyes locked on the curry that Robin was working on as her Eevee continued to nuzzle against her injured arm.

“Yeah, she’s been doing this since I let her out. She won’t hardly battle right now because she keeps looking back at my arm.” Robin sighed and leaned back, watching as the Eevee nipped at the brace on her arm. “I wonder what she’ll evolve into, I’m thinking Umbreon, but Espeon is also a-“

“I’ll put my money on Sylveon.” Leon cut in as he reached over, brushing a few stray hairs out of Robin’s face and behind her ear. “Fairy-types have been known to show a lot of concern over small injuries so a big injury like this is probably driving the poor thing nuts. Did the doctor say why Celfable couldn’t heal the break?”

“He said the Clefable’s available couldn’t focus on the break itself, they could heal the bruising just fine… but if they couldn’t get the bones to line up just right, I would have a warped arm and…” Robin leaned into his hand, unable to help the small smile that formed on her lips. “Lee, why are you all the way out here?”

“Wha- I- well- I… uhm…” Leon pulled away, scratching his cheek nervously as he pulled a Poké Ball off his hip. “Uhm… I was going to wait until after the final battle to give you this little guy but… Nessa told me about Applin… and…” He gave her a sheepish smile as he held the ball out to her, waiting for her to call out what was hiding within.

Robin tossed the ball up, surprise written all over her face when a Charmander landed in her lap next to Eevee. “A Charmander? Lee?” She looked at him, seeing Charizard curled up behind him, watching them. “Is Hop getting one?”

Leon gave a small chuckle as he called out the Applin, a grin spreading on his face as he watched her. “Is Hop getting one of these?” He laughed when she gave him a playful shove. “You’re a strong trainer, Robi. Not that I think Hop isn’t, he is, but I have gut feeling I know who the next Champion is going to be.”

Robin looked away from him, feeling her heart skip a beat. “I have to make it to Stow-on-Side first.”

“You’ll make it, of that I have no doubt.” Leon reached over and cupped her chin, making her look at him. “You’re doubting yourself, though.”

“I made a mistake that could have cost me my team, Lee. That could have cost my mom her daughter. If I want to be Champion I can’t make mistakes like that again. I never should have gone to that cave…”

“You also can’t punch people out of anger.” He grinned when she gave him a small laugh. “Though, I’m glad you hit him. I can’t, it’s frowned upon for me.” He moved his hand, so he was cupping her cheek again, his thumb brushing over her cheekbone as he met her steady gaze. “Thank you, for watching out for Hop.”

Robin gave a small nod as she leaned into him again, she wasn’t sure if her cheeks were warm from the heat of the fire or from the way the tip of his nose brushed hers as they leaned into each other. She ignored the way her head spun as she closed her eyes. She could feel the warmth of his breath against her lips, then he started to pull away as if teasing her. Robin opened an eye, seeing the smirk that was perched on Leon’s lips as he pulled back a hair. She grinned at him and leaned in quick, her lips almost brushed his when his Rotom Phone went off.

The two gasped as Leon yanked it out of his pocket, staring at Raihan’s name. Leon glanced to Robin before answering. “Raihan-“

“ _Robin’s curry is burning-_ “

Robin’s face exploded into ever shade of red known to mankind as she yanked away from Leon and over to her pot of curry. “I’m such an idiot-“

“Where?” Leon gave an annoyed click of his tongue as he looked around camp, a flick of his free hand had Charizard up and looking around as well.

“ _To your left, Charizard is blocking you but we can see the oh-so frantic Robin at her curry._ ”

Leon pointed to the tree and Charizard moved to it, sniffing at the bark before leaning down and taking a bite out of the tree. “Thanks for the heads up. How long?”

“ _Mmmm, long enough that-_ “ Raihan was cut off by a snickering Nessa and Piers who had apparently grabbed the phone from the Dragon-type Leader. “ _I’m betting Sylveon with you, but Piers is leaning towards Umbreon, though he’s biased to Dark-types_.” Nessa giggled into the phone.

Leon hung the phone up and watched as Robin nervously set plates out for all the Pokémon and thrust one towards him. “Robi-“ He grumbled when she didn’t slow down in her jerky movements. He looked down when Charizard dropped a chewed-up camera next to him, it wasn’t big, and it was painted to blend into the tree. “Thanks, Charizard.” He groaned when his phone rang again, he answered without looking at the I.D, knowing it would be Oleana.

“Do you know how much that camera cost!?”

“Too much for my Charizard to make a snack out of it.”

“Exactly! And what are you doing fraternizing with challengers? That was live-“

“That’s what you get for bugging the trails, it’s not like I’m playing favorites-“

“You gave her a Charmander, bred from your Charizard!”

“Your point?”

“Leon-!”

Leon clicked the phone off and tossed it to the side, returning his attention to Robin who made herself a small plate from the leftovers. “You should eat more.”

“I’ll be fine.” She stared down at her plate; her cheeks were still bright red as she returned to her spot next to him. “I-I never eat that much anyways-“

Leon knew that, when their families would gather for bar-b-ques, she would only eat one burger or hotdog with chips. He reached over, hooking his hand around the back of her knee and dragging her closer until she was hip to hip with him. He didn’t say anything as he began to eat, his hand moving and rubbing her knee every few bites.

Robin watched Leon, seeing the way his shoulders tightened in annoyance. She instantly regretted the large bite that she swallowed, she thumped her chest a few times, waving meekly at Leon when he raised a brow at her. When she could finally breathe again, she set her half-finished food down, smiling when Deino trotted over and started to finish it. “Do you… do you want to stay with me… tonight?”

Robin woke the next morning as someone shifted under her cheek, she looked up, seeing Leon idly scrolling through his phone. She froze, having forgotten momentarily that he had stayed with her at her camp. She slowly sat up, easily slipping out of his arms. “Uhm… good morning.”

“Morning, sleepy-head.” Leon grinned at her as he sat up as well, stretching his arms over his head. “You gonna finish the trek to Stow-on-Side today?”

“I think so, yeah.” She gave him a smile as she got up and stepped around the small horde of Pokémon that were still asleep in the tent. “You’re not in trouble, are you?”

Leon got up and followed her out, shaking his head. “Nah, Oleana will just rip me a new one for letting Charizard eat the camera.” He wrapped his arms around her, keeping her against him as he put his nose against the top of her head. “Robin, I know you’ll do great in Stow-on-Side, just… make sure you watch your back around other trainers, okay?”

“Now that we’ve painted a target on my back?” Robin grinned as she carefully turned in his grasp, tilting her chin so she could give him a small kiss. “I have a trick up my sleeve, and his name is Aquo.”


End file.
